AGENCY:
Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”).
ACTION:
Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Act”) for an exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1) and 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act, and under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the Act, and under section 12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
Applicants:
WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust”) and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”).
Summary of Application:
Applicants request an order that permits: (a) Series of certain open-end management investment companies to issue shares (“Shares”) redeemable in large aggregations only (“Creation Units”); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to occur at negotiated market prices; (c) certain affiliated persons of the series to deposit foreign currency and money market securities into, and receive foreign currency and money market securities from, the series in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units; and (d) certain registered management investment companies and unit investment trusts outside of the same group of investment companies as the series to acquire Shares.
Filing Dates:
The application was filed on January 8, 2008, and amended on February 1, 2008. Applicants have agreed to file an amendment during the notice period, the substance of which is reflected in this notice.
Hearing or Notification of Hearing:
An order granting the requested relief will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 5:30 p.m. on February 26, 2008, and should be accompanied by proof of service on applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.
ADDRESSES:
Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants: 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bruce R. MacNeil, Senior Counsel, at (202) 551-6817, or Michael W. Mundt, Assistant Director, at (202) 551-6821 (Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company Regulation).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The following is a summary of the application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee at the Commission's Public Reference Desk, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549-0102 (tel. 202-551-5850).
Applicants' Representations
1. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Act and organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Trust will offer five new series that will invest substantially all of their assets in foreign money market securities: WisdomTree Euro Fund, WisdomTree British Pound Sterling Fund, WisdomTree Japanese Yen Fund, WisdomTree Australian Dollar Fund and WisdomTree International Currency Income Fund (collectively, the “Foreign Funds”) and three new series that will invest in U.S. dollar money market securities: WisdomTree U.S. Cash Fund, WisdomTree U.S. Government Cash Fund, and WisdomTree Tax Exempt Cash Fund (collectively, the “Domestic Funds,” together with the Foreign Funds, the “Funds”).
2. Each Fund will invest in high quality money market securities and instruments that provide exposure to money market interest rates or such securities (“Portfolio Securities”). The Foreign Funds will invest in short-term money market securities that are denominated in the currency specified by the Fund's name or in multiple foreign currencies, and the Domestic Funds will invest in money market securities denominated in U.S. dollars. Each Fund's investment objective will be to earn current income while preserving capital and maintaining liquidity. In addition, each Foreign Fund will also have an investment objective to provide investors with exposure to high-quality money market instruments or rates denominated in a particular currency or currencies. Each Foreign Fund is designed to decrease in value when the value of the U.S. dollar increases relative to the applicable foreign currency or currencies and increase in value when the value of the U.S. dollar falls relative to the applicable foreign currency or currencies. While the value of each Foreign Fund's Portfolio Securities is expected to be relatively constant in foreign currency terms, a Foreign Fund's net asset value (“NAV”) will be expressed in U.S. dollars. Because of this, fluctuations in the per-share NAV of each Foreign Fund will be caused by fluctuations in the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and the applicable foreign currency or currencies.
3. The Trust plans to offer future series that will hold money market securities denominated in U.S. dollars, other currencies or baskets of currencies (“Future Funds”). Applicants request that the order apply to any such Future Funds. Any Future Fund will (a) be advised by the Adviser or an entity controlled by or under common control with the Adviser, and (b) comply with the terms and conditions set forth in the application. The Funds and Future Funds together are the “Funds.” Each Fund will operate as an actively-managed exchange-traded fund.
4. The Adviser, a Delaware corporation, is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”) and serves as investment adviser to each Fund. Each Fund may have one or more subadvisers (each, a “Fund Subadviser”). Any Fund Subadviser will be registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. ALPS Distributors, Inc., a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), will serve as distributor and principal underwriter for the Funds (“Distributor”).
All entities that currently intend to rely on the order are named as applicants. Any other entity that relies on the order in the future will comply with the terms and conditions of the application. An Investing Fund (as defined below) may rely on the order only to invest in Funds and not in any other registered investment company.
5. Shares of the Funds will be sold at a price of between $50 and $200 per Share in Creation Units of at least 25,000 Shares. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be placed with the Distributor by or through an “Authorized Participant,” an entity that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor and that is a participant in the Depository Trust Company (“DTC,” and such participant, “DTC Participant”). Shares of each Fund generally will be sold in Creation Units in exchange for a “Currency Deposit,” a designated amount of currency (foreign currency with respect to the Foreign Funds; U.S. dollars with respect to the Domestic Funds). Each Fund reserves the right to specify money market securities (“Deposit Securities”) for deposit instead of currency. Each Fund will also specify an amount of U.S. dollars (“Dollar Deposit”) equal to any difference between the NAV (per Creation Unit) of a Fund and the total aggregate market value (per Creation Unit) of the Currency Deposit and/or the Deposit Securities. Collectively, the Currency Deposit, any Deposit Securities, and the Dollar Deposit are the “Portfolio Deposit.”
At the beginning of each day that a Fund is open, including as required by section 22(e) of the Act (“Business Day”), the Adviser will make available the Portfolio Deposit. An indicative NAV will be disseminated every 15 seconds during trading hours at the Exchange (defined below) representing a per Share value based on the Portfolio Deposit as adjusted to reflect changing currency rates in effect throughout the Business Day.
6. An investor purchasing a Creation Unit from a Fund will be charged a fee (“Transaction Fee”) to prevent the dilution of the interests of the remaining shareholders resulting from costs in connection with the purchase of Creation Units. The maximum Transaction Fees relevant to each Fund will be fully disclosed in the prospectus (“Prospectus”) of such Fund. Orders to purchase Creation Units of a Fund will be placed with the Distributor who will transmit orders to the Trust.
7. Purchasers of Shares in Creation Units may hold such Shares or may sell such Shares into the secondary market. Shares will be listed on a national securities exchange, as defined in section 2(a)(26) of the Act (an “Exchange”). It is expected that one or more member firms of a listing Exchange that is a national securities exchange will be designated to act as a specialist and maintain a market on the Exchange for Shares trading on the Exchange (the “Exchange Specialist”), or if Nasdaq is the listing Exchange, one or more member firms of Nasdaq will act as a market maker (“Market Maker”) and maintain a market on Nasdaq for Shares trading on Nasdaq. Prices of Shares trading on an Exchange will be based on the current bid/ask market. Shares sold in the secondary market will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and charges.
If Shares are listed on the Nasdaq, no particular Market Maker will be contractually obligated to make a market in Shares, although Nasdaq's listing requirements stipulate that at least two Market Makers must be registered as Market Makers in Shares to maintain the listing. Registered Market Makers are required to make a continuous, two-sided market at all times or be subject to regulatory sanctions.
8. Applicants expect that purchasers of Creation Units will include institutional investors and arbitrageurs (which could include institutional investors). The Specialist, or Market Maker, in providing a fair and orderly secondary market for the Shares, also may purchase Creation Units for use in its market-making activities. Applicants expect that secondary market purchasers of Shares will include both institutional investors and retail investors. Applicants expect that the price at which the Shares trade will be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to continually purchase or redeem Creation Units at their NAV, which should ensure that the Shares will not trade at a material discount or premium in relation to their NAV.
Shares will be registered in book-entry form only. DTC or its nominee will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares. DTC or DTC Participants will maintain records reflecting beneficial owners of Shares.
9. Shares will not be individually redeemable, and owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from a Fund, or tender such Shares for redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. To redeem, an investor must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. Redemption orders must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. An investor redeeming a Creation Unit generally will receive a designated amount of the applicable currency and/or money market securities denominated in the applicable currency and a U.S. dollar component (“Redemption Payment”). A redeeming investor may pay a Transaction Fee, to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund in processing the redemption.
10. Neither the Trust nor any individual Fund will be marketed or otherwise held out as an “open-end investment company” or a “mutual fund.” The Prospectus for each Fund will prominently disclose that the Fund is an “actively-managed exchange-traded fund.” All marketing materials that describe the method of obtaining, buying or selling Shares, or refer to redeemability, will prominently disclose that Shares are not individually redeemable and that the owners of Shares may purchase or redeem Shares from a Fund in Creation Units only. The same approach will be followed in the statement of additional information, shareholder reports and investor educational materials issued or circulated in connection with the Shares. The Funds will provide copies of their annual and semi-annual shareholder reports to DTC Participants for distribution to beneficial owners of Shares.
11. The Funds' Web site, which will be publicly available at no charge, will include the Prospectus and other information about the Funds that is updated on a daily basis, including the mid-point of the bid-ask spread at the time of the calculation of NAV (“Bid/Ask Price”). On each Business Day, before the commencement of trading in Shares on the Exchange, each Fund will disclose the identities and quantities of the money market securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
Applicants note that under accounting procedures followed by the Funds, portfolio trades made on the prior Business Day (“T”) will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current Business Day (“T+1”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, portfolio trades that are executed prior to the opening of the Exchange on any Business Day may be booked and reflected in NAV on such Business Day. Accordingly, the Funds 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.
Applicants' Legal Analysis
1. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act granting an exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1) and 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act; and under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act granting an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the Act; and under section 12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt any person, security or transaction, or any class of persons, securities or transactions, from any provision of the Act, if and to the extent that such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt a proposed transaction from section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid or received, are reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on the part of any person concerned, and the proposed transaction is consistent with the policies of the registered investment company and the general provisions of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt any person, security, or transaction, or any class or classes of persons, securities or transactions, from any provision of section 12(d)(1) if the exemption is consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors.
Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act
3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an “open-end company” as a management investment company that is offering for sale or has outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the issuer. Section 2(a)(32) of the Act defines a redeemable security as any security, other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the holder, upon its presentation to the issuer, is entitled to receive approximately his proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, or the cash equivalent. Because Shares will not be individually redeemable, applicants request an order that would permit each Fund, as a series of an open-end management investment company, to issue Shares that are redeemable in Creation Units only. Applicants state that investors may purchase Shares in Creation Units from each Fund and redeem Creation Units from each Fund. Applicants further state that because the market price of Shares will be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities, investors should be able to sell Shares in the secondary market at prices that do not vary substantially from their NAV.
Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c-1 Under the Act
4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among other things, prohibits a dealer from selling a redeemable security, which is currently being offered to the public by or through a principal underwriter, except at a current public offering price described in the prospectus. Rule 22c-1 under the Act generally requires that a dealer selling, redeeming, or repurchasing a redeemable security do so only at a price based on its NAV. Applicants state that secondary market trading in Shares will take place at negotiated prices, not at a current offering price described in the prospectus, and not at a price based on NAV. Thus, purchases and sales of Shares in the secondary market will not comply with section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act. Applicants request an exemption under section 6(c) from these provisions.
5. Applicants assert that the concerns sought to be addressed by section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act with respect to pricing are equally satisfied by the proposed method of pricing Shares. Applicants maintain that while there is little legislative history regarding section 22(d), its provisions, as well as those of rule 22c-1, appear to have been designed to (a) prevent dilution caused by certain riskless-trading schemes by principal underwriters and contract dealers, (b) prevent unjust discrimination or preferential treatment among buyers resulting from sales at different prices, and (c) assure an orderly distribution of investment company shares by eliminating price competition from dealers offering shares at less than the published sales price and repurchasing shares at more than the published redemption price.
6. Applicants believe that none of these purposes will be thwarted by permitting Shares to trade in the secondary market at negotiated prices. Applicants state that (a) secondary market trading in Shares does not involve the Funds as parties and cannot result in dilution of an investment in Shares, and (b) to the extent different prices exist during a given trading day, or from day to day, such variances occur as a result of third-party market forces, such as supply and demand. Therefore, applicants assert that secondary market transactions in Shares will not lead to discrimination or preferential treatment among purchasers. Finally, applicants contend that the proposed distribution system will be orderly because arbitrage activity will ensure that the difference between the market price of Shares and their NAV remains narrow.
Section 12(d)(1) of the Act
7. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act prohibits a registered investment company from acquiring shares of an investment company if the securities represent more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the acquired company, more than 5% of the total assets of the acquiring company, or, together with the securities of any other investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of the acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter, or any other broker or dealer from selling its shares to another investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or if the sale will cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting stock to be owned by investment companies generally.
8. Applicants request that the order permit certain investment companies registered under the Act to acquire Shares beyond the limitations in section 12(d)(1)(A) and permit the Funds, any principal underwriter for the Funds, and any broker or dealer registered under the Exchange Act (“Brokers”), to sell Shares beyond the limitations in section 12(d)(1)(B). Applicants request that these exemptions apply to: (a) Any Fund that is currently or subsequently part of the same “group of investment companies” as the initial Funds within the meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act, as well as any principal underwriter for the Funds and any Brokers selling Shares of a Fund to an Investing Fund (as defined below); and (b) each management investment company or unit investment trust registered under the Act that is not part of the same “group of investment companies” as the Funds within the meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act and that enters into a FOF Participation Agreement (as defined below) with a Fund (such management investment companies are referred to herein as “Investing Management Companies,” such unit investment trusts are referred to herein as “Investing Trusts,” and Investing Management Companies and Investing Trusts are “Investing Funds”). Investing Funds do not include the Funds. Each Investing Trust will have a sponsor (“Sponsor”) and each Investing Management Company will have an investment adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act (“Investing Fund Adviser”) that does not control, is not controlled by or under common control with the Adviser. Each Investing Management Company may also have one or more investment advisers within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act (each, a “Subadviser”).
9. Applicants assert that the proposed transactions will not lead to any of the abuses that section 12(d)(1) was designed to prevent. Applicants submit that the proposed conditions to the requested relief address the concerns underlying the limits in section 12(d)(1), which include concerns about undue influence, excessive layering of fees and overly complex structures.
10. Applicants believe that neither the Investing Funds nor an Investing Fund Affiliate would be able to exert undue influence over the Funds. Applicants propose a condition prohibiting the Investing Fund Adviser or Sponsor; any person controlling, controlled by, or under common with the Investing Fund Adviser or Sponsor; and any investment company or issuer that would be an investment company but for sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act that is advised or sponsored by the Investing Fund Adviser or advised or sponsored by the Sponsor, or any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Investing Fund Adviser or Sponsor (“Investing Fund's Advisory Group”) from controlling (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The same prohibition would apply to any Subadviser; any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Subadviser; and any investment company or issuer that would be an investment company but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or portion of such investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by the Subadviser or any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Subadviser (“Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group”).
An “Investing Fund Affiliate” is an Investing Fund Adviser, Subadviser, Sponsor, promoter, and principal underwriter of an Investing Fund, and any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with any of those entities. A “Fund Affiliate” is an investment adviser, promoter and principal underwriter of a Fund, and any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with any of those entities.
11. Applicants propose other conditions to limit the potential for undue influence over the Funds, including that no Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate (except to the extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund) will cause a Fund to purchase a security in any offering of securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling syndicate of which a principal underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate (“Affiliated Underwriting”). An “Underwriting Affiliate” is a principal underwriter in any underwriting or selling syndicate that is an officer, director, member of an advisory board, Investing Fund Adviser, Subadviser, employee or Sponsor of an Investing Fund, or a person of which any such officer, director, member of an advisory board, Investing Fund Adviser, Subadviser, employee, or Sponsor is an affiliated person (except any person whose relationship to the Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the Act is not an Underwriting Affiliate).
12. Applicants do not believe that the proposed arrangement will involve excessive layering of fees. The board of directors or trustees of each Investing Management Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or trustees, before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the Act, will be required to determine that the advisory fees charged to the Investing Management Company are based on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory contract(s) of any Fund in which the Investing Management Company may invest. In addition, the Investing Fund Adviser, trustee of an Investing Trust (“Trustee”) or Sponsor, as applicable, will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Investing Fund in an amount at least equal to any compensation received from a Fund by the Investing Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated person of the Investing Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor (other than any advisory fees), in connection with the investment by the Investing Fund in the Funds. Applicants also state that any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to shares of an Investing Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a fund of funds set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830 (“Rule 2830”).
13. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that a Fund will be prohibited from acquiring securities of any investment company, or of any company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act, in excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act.
14. To ensure that Investing Funds are aware of the terms and conditions of the requested order, the Investing Funds must enter into an agreement with the respective Funds (“FOF Participation Agreement”). The FOF Participation Agreement will include an acknowledgment from the Investing Fund that it may rely on the order only to invest in the Funds and not in any other investment company. The FOF Participation Agreement will further require any Investing Fund that exceeds the 5% or 10% limitations in section 12(d)(1)(A)(ii) and (iii) to disclose in its Prospectus that it may invest in exchange-traded funds and disclose, in “plain English,” in its Prospectus the unique characteristics of the Investing Funds investing in investment companies, including but not limited to the expense structure and any additional expenses of investing in investment companies.
Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act
15. Section 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act generally prohibit an affiliated person of a registered investment company, or an affiliated person of such a person (“second tier affiliate”), from selling any security to or purchasing any security from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act defines “affiliated person” to include any person directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to vote 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the other person and any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, the other person. Section 2(a)(9) of the Act provides that a control relationship will be presumed where one person owns more than 25% of another person's voting securities.
16. Applicants seek an exemption from section 17(a) to allow persons who hold (a) 5% or more, or in excess of 25%, of all of the Shares of the Trust or of one or more Funds (or affiliated persons of such affiliated persons that are not otherwise affiliated with the Trust or Funds), or (b) 5% or more, or in excess of 25% of the shares of any other registered investment company (or series) advised by the Adviser, to effect purchases and redemptions through foreign currency and in-kind transactions with a Fund. Applicants also request relief from section 17(a) in order to permit each Fund to sell Shares to and redeem Shares from, and engage in the in-kind transactions that would accompany such sales and redemptions with, any Investing Fund of which it is an affiliated person or a second-tier affiliate because (a) the Investing Fund holds 5% or more of the Shares of one or more Funds, or (b) an Investing Fund described in (a) is an affiliated person of the Investing Fund.
Although applicants expect that most Investing Funds will purchase Shares in the secondary market and will not transact in Creation Units with a Fund, an Investing Fund could seek to transact in Shares directly with a Fund.
17. Applicants contend that no useful purpose would be served by prohibiting the specified affiliated persons from purchasing or redeeming Creation Units with foreign currency and in-kind securities transactions. The deposit procedures for purchases and the redemption procedures for redemptions of Creation Units will be the same for all purchases and redemptions. The Portfolio Deposit and the Redemption Payment will be valued in the same manner as the portfolio securities. Therefore, applicants state the foreign currency and in-kind purchases and redemptions for which relief is requested will afford no opportunity for the affiliated persons of a Fund, or the affiliated persons of such affiliated persons, described above, to effect a transaction detrimental to other holders of Shares. Applicants also believe that these purchases and redemptions will not result in self-dealing or overreaching of the Fund.
18. Applicants state that any consideration paid for Shares in transactions with a Fund will be based on the Fund's NAV. Applicants also state that any transactions directly between the Funds and the Investing Fund will be consistent with the policies of each Investing Fund. Applicants note that the FOF Participation Agreement will require each Investing Fund to represent that any purchase of Creation Units will be accomplished in compliance with the investment restrictions of the Investing Fund and will be consistent with the investment policies set forth in the Investing Fund's registration statement.
Applicants' Conditions
The applicants agree that any order of the Commission granting the requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:
A. Actively-Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Relief
1. Each Fund's Prospectus will clearly disclose that, for purposes of the Act, Fund Shares are issued by the Fund and that the acquisition of Shares by investment companies and companies relying on sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act is subject to the restrictions of section 12(d)(1) of the Act, except as permitted by an exemptive order that permits registered investment companies to invest in a Fund beyond the limits of section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that the registered investment company enter into a Participation Agreement with the Trust regarding the terms of the investment.
2. As long as the Trust operates in reliance on the requested order, the Shares will be listed on an Exchange.
3. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed as an open-end investment company or a mutual fund. Each Fund's Prospectus will prominently disclose that the Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund. Each Prospectus also will prominently disclose that Shares are not individually redeemable and will disclose that the owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from the Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to the Fund in Creation Units only. Any advertising material that describes the purchase or sale of Creation Units or refers to redeemability will prominently disclose that Shares are not individually redeemable and that owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from the Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to the Fund in Creation Units only.
4. The Web site maintained for the Trust, which is and will be publicly accessible at no charge, will contain the following information, on a per Share basis, for each Fund: (a) The prior Business Day's NAV and the Bid/Ask Price and a calculation of the premium or discount of the Bid/Ask Price at the time of calculation of the NAV against such NAV; and (b) 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.
5. The Prospectus and annual report for each Fund will also include: (a) The information listed in condition A.4.(b), (i) in the case of the Fund's Prospectus, for the most recently completed year (and the most recently completed quarter or quarters, as applicable) and (ii) in the case of the annual report, for the immediately preceding five years, as applicable; and (b) the following data, calculated on a per Share basis for one, five and ten year periods (or life of the Fund), (i) the cumulative total return and the average annual total return based on NAV and Bid/Ask Price, and (ii) the cumulative total return of the relevant foreign currency or currencies against the U.S. dollar if applicable.
6. On each Business Day, before the commencement of trading in Shares on the Fund's listing Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the money market securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
7. The Adviser or Fund Subadviser, directly or indirectly, will not cause any Authorized Participant (or any investor on whose behalf an Authorized Participant may transact with the Fund) to acquire any Deposit Security for a Fund through a transaction in which the Fund could not engage directly.
8. The requested order will expire on the effective date of any Commission rule under the Act that provides relief permitting the operation of actively-managed exchange-traded funds.
B. Section 12(d)(1) Relief
1. The members of an Investing Fund's Advisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of the Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. If, as a result of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, an Investing Fund's Advisory Group or Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25% of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, it will vote its Shares in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the Fund's Shares. This condition does not apply to the Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group with respect to a Fund for which the Subadviser or a person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Subadviser acts as the investment adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
2. No Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate will cause any existing or potential investment by the Investing Fund in a Fund to influence the terms of any services or transactions between the Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate and the Fund or Fund Affiliate.
3. The board of directors or trustees of an Investing Management Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to assure that the Investing Fund Adviser and any Subadviser are conducting the investment program of the Investing Management Company without taking into account any consideration received by the Investing Management Company or an Investing Fund Affiliate from a Fund or a Fund Affiliate in connection with any services or transactions.
4. Once an investment by an Investing Fund in the securities of a Fund exceeds the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the board of directors/trustees of the Fund (“Board”), including a majority of the disinterested Board members, will determine that any consideration paid by the Fund to the Investing Fund or an Investing Fund Affiliate in connection with any services or transactions: (a) Is fair and reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of the services and benefits received by the Fund; (b) is within the range of consideration that the Fund would be required to pay to another unaffiliated entity in connection with the same services or transactions; and (c) does not involve overreaching on the part of any person concerned. This condition does not apply with respect to any services or transactions between a Fund and its investment adviser(s), or any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such investment adviser(s).
5. An Investing Fund Adviser or a trustee or Sponsor of an Investing Trust will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Investing Management Company or Investing Trust in an amount at least equal to any compensation (including fees received pursuant to any plan adopted by a Fund under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received from a Fund by the Investing Fund Adviser or trustee or Sponsor to the Investing Trust or an affiliated person of the Investing Fund Adviser, trustee or sponsor, other than any advisory fees paid to the Investing Fund Adviser or trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated person of the Investing Fund Adviser, trustee or Sponsor by the Fund, in connection with the investment by the Investing Management Company or Investing Trust in the Fund. Any Subadviser will waive fees otherwise payable to the Subadviser, directly or indirectly, by the Investing Management Company in an amount at least equal to any compensation received from a Fund by the Subadviser, or an affiliated person of the Subadviser, other than any advisory fees paid to the Subadviser or its affiliated person by the Fund, in connection with the investment by the Investing Management Company in the Fund made at the direction of the Subadviser. In the event that the Subadviser waives fees, the benefit of the waiver will be passed through to the Investing Management Company.
6. No Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate (except to the extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund) will cause a Fund to purchase a security in any Affiliated Underwriting.
7. The Board, including a majority of the disinterested Board members, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to monitor any purchases of securities by a Fund in an Affiliated Underwriting once an investment by the Investing Fund in the securities of the Fund exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, including any purchases made directly from an Underwriting Affiliate. The Board will review these purchases periodically, but no less frequently than annually, to determine whether the purchases were influenced by the investment by the Investing Fund in the Fund. The Board will consider, among other things: (a) whether the purchases were consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund; (b) how the performance of securities purchased in an Affiliated Underwriting compares to the performance of comparable securities purchased during a comparable period of time in underwritings other than Affiliated Underwritings or to a benchmark such as a comparable market index; and (c) whether the amount of securities purchased by the Fund in Affiliated Underwritings and the amount purchased directly from an Underwriting Affiliate have changed significantly from prior years. The Board will take any appropriate actions based on its review, including, if appropriate, the institution of procedures designed to assure that purchases of securities in Affiliated Underwritings are in the best interests of shareholders.
8. Each Fund will maintain and preserve permanently in an easily accessible place a written copy of the procedures described in the preceding condition, and any modifications to such procedures, and will maintain and preserve for a period not less than six years from the end of the fiscal year in which any purchase in an Affiliated Underwriting occurred, the first two years in an easily accessible place, a written record of each purchase of securities in Affiliated Underwritings once an investment by an Investing Fund in the securities of the Fund exceeds the limits of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, setting forth from whom the securities were acquired, the identity of the underwriting syndicate's members, the terms of the purchase, and the information or materials upon which the Board's determinations were made.
9. Before investing in a Fund in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A), the Investing Fund and the Fund will execute a FOF Participation Agreement stating, without limitation, that their boards of directors or trustees and their investment advisers, and the trustee and Sponsor of an Investing Trust, as applicable, understand the terms and conditions of the order, and agree to fulfill their responsibilities under the order. At the time of its investment in shares of a Fund in excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), an Investing Fund will notify the Fund of the investment. At such time, the Investing Fund will also transmit to the Fund a list of names of each Investing Fund Affiliate and Underwriting Affiliate. The Investing Fund will notify the Fund of any changes to the list of names as soon as reasonably practicable after a change occurs. The Fund and the Investing Fund will maintain and preserve a copy of the order, the agreement, and the list with any updated information for the duration of the investment and for a period of not less than six years thereafter, the first two years in an easily accessible place.
10. Before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the Act, the board of directors or trustees of each Investing Management Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or trustees, will find that the advisory fees charged under such advisory contract are based on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory contract(s) of any Fund in which the Investing Management Company may invest. These findings and their basis will be recorded fully in the minute books of the appropriate Investing Management Company.
11. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to shares of an Investing Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a fund of funds as set forth in Rule 2830.
12. No Fund will acquire securities of any investment company or company relying on sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the extent permitted by exemptive relief from the Commission permitting the Fund to purchase shares of an affiliated money market fund for short-term cash management purposes.
For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, pursuant to delegated authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-2450 Filed 2-8-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P