2010-31288. Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the ETFS Asian Gold Trust

December 8, 2010.

On September 22, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange” or “NYSE Arca”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) ^[1] of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) ^[2] and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,^[3] a proposed rule change to list and trade shares (“Shares”) of the ETFS Asian Gold Trust (“Trust”). The proposed rule change was published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2010.^[4] The Commission received no comments on the proposal. This order approves the proposed rule change on an accelerated basis.

I. Description of the Proposal

The Exchange proposes to list and trade Shares pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201, which governs the listing and trading of Commodity-Based Trust Shares. The Exchange represents that the Shares satisfy the requirements of NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201 and thereby qualify for listing on the Exchange.

The Trust will issue Shares, which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the expenses of the Trust's operations.^[5]

The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, which subjects the Shares to the Exchange's existing rules governing the trading of equity securities, and has represented that trading of the Shares on the Exchange, will occur in accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a). The Exchange also has represented that it has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions.

Additional details regarding the Shares and Trust including, among other things, creations and redemptions of the Shares, the organization and structure of the Trust, custody of the Trust's holdings, Trust expenses, Trust termination events, the Singapore and London gold markets, the gold futures markets, and the gold markets generally, the dissemination and availability of information about the underlying assets, trading halts, applicable trading rules, surveillance, and the Information Bulletin can be found in the Notice and/or the Registration Statement.^[6]

II. Discussion and Commission Findings

After careful consideration, the Commission finds that the proposed rule change to list and trade the Shares is consistent with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to a national securities exchange.^[7] In particular, the Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent with the requirements of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,^[8] which requires, among other things, that the Exchange's rules be designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, promote just and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, processing information with respect to, and facilitating transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system, and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.

In addition, the Commission finds that the proposal to list and trade the Shares on the Exchange is consistent with Section 11A(a)(1)(C)(iii) of the Act,^[9] which sets forth Congress' finding that it is in the public interest and appropriate for the protection of investors and the maintenance of fair and orderly markets to assure the availability to brokers, dealers and investors of information with respect to quotations for and transactions in securities. The Exchange states that there is a considerable amount of gold price and gold market information available on public Web sites and through professional and subscription services as discussed below. For example, investors may obtain on a 24-hour basis gold pricing information based on the spot price for an ounce of gold from various financial information service providers, such as Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and Bloomberg provide at no charge on their Web sites delayed information regarding the spot price of gold and last sale prices of gold futures, as well as information about news and developments in the gold market. Reuters and Bloomberg also offer a professional service to subscribers for a fee that provides information on gold prices directly from market participants. An organization named EBS provides an electronic trading platform to institutions such as bullion banks and dealers for the trading of spot gold, as well as a feed of live streaming prices to Reuters and Moneyline Telerate subscribers. Complete real-time data for gold futures and options prices traded on the COMEX are available by subscription from Reuters and Bloomberg.

In addition, the Trust's Web site will provide the following information: (1) An intraday indicative value (“IIV”) per share for the Shares, updated at least every 15 seconds, as calculated by the Exchange or a third party financial data provider, during the Exchange's Core Trading Session (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time); and (2) the Creation Basket Deposit and net asset value (“NAV”) of the Trust as calculated each business day by the Sponsor. In addition, the Web site for the Trust will contain the following information, on a per Share basis, for the Trust: (1) The mid-point of the bid-ask price ^[10] at the close of trading in relation to the NAV as of the time the NAV is calculated (“Bid/Ask Price”), and a calculation of the premium or discount of such price against such NAV; and (2) data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters. The Web site for the Trust will also provide the Trust's prospectus, as well as the two most recent reports to stockholders. Finally, the Trust Web site will provide the last sale price of the Shares as traded in the US market.

The Exchange will provide on its Web site http://www.nyx.com a link to the Trust's Web site. In addition, the Exchange will make available over the Consolidated Tape quotation information, trading volume, closing prices and NAV for the Shares from the previous day. The NYMEX also provides delayed futures and options information on current and past trading sessions and market news free of charge on its Web site. There are a variety of other public Web sites providing information on gold, ranging from those specializing in precious metals to sites maintained by major newspapers, such as The Wall Street Journal. In addition, the London AM Fix and London PM Fix are publicly available at no charge at or http://www.thebulliondesk.com.

The Commission further believes that the proposal to list and trade the Shares is reasonably designed to promote fair disclosure of information that may be necessary to price the Shares appropriately and to prevent trading when a reasonable degree of transparency cannot be assured. The Exchange states that it will obtain a representation from the Trust that the NAV will be calculated daily and made available to all market participants at the same time.^[11]

Following the initial 12-month period following commencement of trading, the Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in Shares or removing Shares from listing if, among other things: (1) The value of the underlying commodity is no longer calculated or available on at least a 15-second delayed basis from a source unaffiliated with the sponsor, Trust, custodian or the Exchange; (2) the Exchange stops providing a hyperlink on its Web site to any such unaffiliated commodity value; or (3) the IIV is no longer made available on at least a 15-second delayed basis.^[12] Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV is not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it must halt trading on the NYSE Marketplace until such time as the NAV is available to all market participants. With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend trading in the Shares. These may include: (1) The extent to which conditions in the underlying gold markets have caused disruptions and/or lack of trading; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. In addition, trading in Shares will be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange's “circuit breaker” rule.^[13]

Further, NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201 sets forth certain restrictions on ETP Holders acting as registered Market Makers in the Shares to facilitate surveillance. Pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201(g), an ETP Holder acting as a registered Market Maker in the Shares is required to provide the Exchange with information relating to its trading in the applicable underlying commodity, related commodity futures or options on commodity futures, or any other related commodity derivatives. Commentary .04 of NYSE Arca Equities Rule 6.3 requires an ETP Holder acting as a registered Market Maker in Commodity-Based Trust Shares to establish, maintain and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of any material nonpublic information with respect to such products, any components of the related products, any physical asset or commodity underlying the product, applicable currencies, underlying indexes, related futures or options on futures, and any related derivative instruments.

In support of this proposal, the Exchange has made representations, including the following:

(1) The Shares will be subject to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201(e).

(2) The Exchange's surveillance 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. In addition, the Exchange may obtain trading information via the Intermarket Surveillance Group (“ISG”) from other exchanges who are members of the ISG.

(3) 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. Specifically, the Information Bulletin will discuss the following: (a) The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Baskets (including noting that Shares are not individually redeemable); (b) 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; (c) how information regarding the IIV is disseminated; (d) the requirement that ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction; (d) the possibility that trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen as a result of reduced liquidity of gold trading during the Core and Late Trading Sessions after the close of the major world gold markets; and (e) trading information. In addition, the Information Bulletin will reference that the Trust is subject to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement. The Information Bulletin will also reference the fact that there is no regulated source of last sale information regarding physical gold, that the Commission has no jurisdiction over the trading of gold as a physical commodity, and that the CFTC has regulatory jurisdiction over the trading of gold futures contracts and options on gold futures contracts.

This approval order is based on the Exchange's representations.

The Commission finds good cause, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,^[14] for approving the proposed rule change prior to the 45th day after publication of notice in the Federal Register. The Commission does not believe that the Exchange's proposal to list and trade the Shares presents any novel regulatory issues. The Commission has previously approved proposals by the Exchange to list and trade shares of similar trusts that hold gold bullion pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201.^[15] Additionally, the Commission has previously approved proposals to list and trade shares of trusts that hold other commodities such as platinum, palladium, and silver pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201.^[16]

III. Conclusion

It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,^[17] that the proposed rule change (SR-NYSEArca-2010-95) be, and it hereby is, approved on an accelerated basis.

For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.^[18]

Florence E. Harmon,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).

2.  15 U.S.C. 78a.

3.  17 CFR 240.19b-4.

4.  See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 63267 (November 8, 2010), 75 FR 69494 (“Notice”).

5.  See the Registration Statement for the Trust on Form S-1, filed with the Commission on July 22, 2010 (No. 333-168277) (“Registration Statement”). The descriptions of the Trust, the Shares and the gold market contained in the Notice are based on the Registration Statement.

6.  See supra notes 4 and 5.

7.  In approving the proposed rule change, the Commission notes that it has considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).

8.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).

9.  15 U.S.C. 78k-1(a)(1)(C)(iii).

10.  The bid-ask price of the Trust is determined using the highest bid and lowest offer on the Consolidated Tape as of the time of calculation of the closing day NAV.

11.  See e-mail from Timothy J. Malinowski, Senior Director, NYSE Euronext, to Christopher W. Chow, Special Counsel, and Steve Varholik, Special Counsel, Commission, dated December 1, 2010.

12.  See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201(e)(2).

13.  See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12.

14.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).

15.  See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59895 (May 8, 2009), 74 FR 22993 (May 15, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-40).

16.  See Notice, supra note 4, 75 FR at 69495, nn. 5-11.

17.  15 U.S.C.78s(b)(2).

18.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).