2011-11327. Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade the WisdomTree Global Real Return Fund  

  • Start Preamble May 5, 2011.

    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act” or “Exchange Act”) [1] and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,[2] notice is hereby given that on April 20, 2011, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange” or “NYSE Arca”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.

    I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to list and trade the shares (“Shares”) of the following series of the WisdomTree Trust (“Trust”) under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600: WisdomTree Global Real Return Fund (“Fund”). The text of the proposed rule change is available at the Exchange, the Commission's Public Reference Room, and http://www.nyse.com.

    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 the Shares of the Fund under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600,[3] which governs the listing and trading of “Managed Fund Shares,” on the Exchange.[4] The Fund will be an actively Start Printed Page 27128managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). The Shares will be offered by the Trust, which was established as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005. The Fund is registered with the Commission as an investment company.[5] The Fund was formerly known as the “WisdomTree Real Return Fund.” The Commission approved listing and trading on the Exchange of the WisdomTree Real Return Fund pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act in March 2010.[6] The Fund Shares have not yet been listed and have not commenced trading, and the Fund seeks to make certain changes to its investment strategy that are not reflected in the March 12, 2010 Order. The Exchange seeks to propose the listing and trading of Shares of the Fund based on this new investment strategy, as described herein.

    Description of the Shares and the Fund

    WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management”) is the investment adviser to the Fund (“Adviser”).[7] WisdomTree Asset Management is not affiliated with any broker-dealer. Mellon Capital Management Corporation (“Sub-Adviser”) serves as the sub-adviser for the Fund.[8] The Bank of New York Mellon is the administrator, custodian, and transfer agent for the Fund. ALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as the distributor (“Distributor”) for the Fund.[9]

    Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600 provides that, if the investment adviser to the Investment Company issuing Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall erect a “fire wall” between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such Investment Company portfolio.[10] In addition, Commentary .06 further requires that personnel who make decisions on the open-end fund's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. The Sub-Adviser is affiliated with multiple broker-dealers and has implemented a “fire wall” with respect to such broker-dealers regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser becomes newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or sub-adviser becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, they will implement a fire wall with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to a portfolio.

    WisdomTree Global Real Return Fund

    According to the Registration Statement, the Fund seeks total returns that exceed the rate of inflation over long-term investment horizons. To achieve its objective, the Fund will invest in Fixed Income Securities (defined below) and other instruments designed to provide protection against inflation. The Fund will be actively managed and will have targeted exposure to commodities and commodity strategies. Using this approach, the Fund will seek to provide investors with both inflation protection and income.

    Fixed Income Securities

    The Fund intends to invest at least 70% of its net assets in Fixed Income Securities. For these purposes, Fixed Income Securities include bonds, notes, or other debt obligations, such as government or corporate bonds, denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. currencies. The Fund will invest in Fixed Income Securities tied to U.S. inflation rates, such as U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (“TIPS”).[11] The Fund also will invest in inflation-linked Fixed Income Securities tied to non-U.S. inflation rates.[12] The Fund's investments outside the United States will focus on inflation-linked securities from countries that are leading exporters of global commodities, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and South Africa. The Fund will not invest more than 35% of its net assets in Fixed Income Securities of issuers in emerging markets.[13] The Fund may invest in Start Printed Page 27129Fixed Income Securities that are not linked to inflation, such as U.S. or non-U.S. government bonds, as well as Fixed Income Securities that pay variable or floating rates.

    The Fund expects that it will have at least 70% of its assets invested in investment grade securities, and no more than 30% of its assets invested in non-investment grade securities. Because the debt ratings of issuers will change from time to time, the exact percentage of the Fund's investments in investment grade and non-investment grade Fixed Income Securities will change from time to time in response to economic events and changes to the credit ratings of such issuers.[14] Within the non-investment grade category, some issuers and instruments are considered to be of lower credit quality and at higher risk of default. In order to limit its exposure to these more speculative credits, the Fund will not invest more than 10% of its assets in securities rated BB or below by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch. The Fund does not intend to invest in unrated securities. However, it may do so to a limited extent, such as where a rated security becomes unrated, if such security is determined by the Adviser and Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality. In determining whether a security is of “comparable quality,” the Adviser and Sub-Adviser will consider, for example, whether the issuer of the security has issued other rated securities.

    While the Fund intends to focus its investments in Fixed Income Securities on bonds and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. governments and agencies, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in corporate bonds. The Fund will invest only in corporate bonds that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems to be sufficiently liquid.[15] Generally, a corporate bond must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding and significant par value traded to be considered as an eligible investment. Economic and other conditions may, from time to time, lead to a decrease in the average par amount outstanding of bond issuances. Therefore, although the Fund does not intend to do so, the Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in corporate bonds with less than $200 million par amount outstanding if (i) the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems such security to be sufficiently liquid based on its analysis of the market for such security (based on, for example, broker-dealer quotations or its analysis of the trading history of the security or the trading history of other securities issued by the issuer), and (ii) such investment is deemed by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund.

    The Fund may invest in securities with effective or final maturities of any length. The Fund will seek to keep the average effective duration of its portfolio between 2 and 8 years. Effective duration is an indication of an investment's interest rate risk or how sensitive an investment or a fund is to changes in interest rates. Generally, a fund or instrument with a longer effective duration is more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, and therefore more volatile, than a fund with a shorter effective duration. The Fund's actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending on market conditions.

    The Fund intends to invest in Fixed Income Securities of at least 13 non-affiliated issuers. The Fund will not concentrate 25% or more of the value of its total assets (taken at market value at the time of each investment) in any one industry, as that term is used in the 1940 Act (except that this restriction does not apply to obligations issued by the U.S. government or any non-U.S. government or their respective agencies and instrumentalities, or government-sponsored enterprises).[16] Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund will be considered non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a smaller Start Printed Page 27130number of issuers than if it were a diversified Fund.[17]

    The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.[18] The Fund will invest its assets, and otherwise conduct its operations, in a manner that is intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification, and distribution requirements necessary to establish and maintain RIC qualification under Subchapter M. The Subchapter M diversification tests generally require that (i) the Fund invest no more than 25% of its total assets in securities (other than securities of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, and (ii) at least 50% of the Fund's total assets consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.

    In addition to satisfying the above referenced RIC diversification requirements, no portfolio security held by the Fund (other than U.S. government securities and non-U.S. government securities) will represent more than 30% of the weight of the Fund, and the five highest weighted portfolio securities of the Fund (other than U.S. government securities and/or non-U.S. government securities) will not in the aggregate account for more than 65% of the weight of the Fund. For these purposes, the Fund may treat repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities or non-U.S. government securities as U.S. or non-U.S. government securities, as applicable.

    Money Market Securities

    The Fund intends to invest in Money Market Securities in order to help manage cash flows in and out of the Fund, such as in connection with payment of dividends or expenses and to satisfy margin requirements, to provide collateral, or to otherwise back investments in derivative instruments. For these purposes, Money Market Securities include: Short-term, high-quality obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government; short-term, high-quality securities issued or guaranteed by non-U.S. governments, agencies, and instrumentalities; repurchase agreements backed by U.S. government securities; money market mutual funds; and deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions. All Money Market Securities acquired by the Fund will be rated investment grade. The Fund does not intend to invest in any unrated Money Market Securities.

    Derivative Instruments and Other Investments

    The Fund may use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategies. The Fund expects that no more than 30% of the value of the Fund's net assets will be invested in derivative instruments. Such investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage. For example, the Fund may engage in swap transactions that provide exposure to inflation rates, inflation-linked bonds, inflation-sensitive indices, or interest rates.[19] The Fund also may buy or sell listed futures contracts on U.S. Treasury securities, non-U.S. government securities, and major non-U.S. currencies. The Fund's use of derivative instruments will be collateralized or otherwise backed by investments in short-term, high-quality U.S. money market securities.

    With respect to certain kinds of derivative transactions entered into by the Fund that involve obligations to make future payments to third parties, including, but not limited to, futures and forward contracts, swap contracts, the purchase of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, or reverse repurchase agreements, the Fund, in accordance with applicable Federal securities laws, rules, and interpretations thereof, will “set aside” liquid assets, or engage in other measures to “cover” open positions with respect to such transactions.[20]

    The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions and may invest directly in foreign currencies in the form of bank and financial institution deposits, certificates of deposit, and bankers acceptances denominated in a specified non-U.S. currency. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts in order to “lock in” the exchange rate between the currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract.[21]

    The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds and ETFs). The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets.[22]

    Investments in the WisdomTree Subsidiary and Commodity Strategies

    The Fund intends to have targeted exposure to commodities across a number of sectors, such as energy, precious metals, and agriculture. The Fund will seek to gain exposure to commodity markets through investments in a subsidiary organized in the Cayman Islands (“Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is wholly-owned and controlled by the Fund, and its investments will be consolidated into the Fund's financial statements. The Fund's and Subsidiary's investments will be disclosed on the Fund's Web site Start Printed Page 27131on a daily basis. The Fund's investment in the Subsidiary may not exceed 25% of the Fund's total assets at the end of each fiscal quarter. The Subsidiary's shares will be offered only to the Fund, and the Fund will not sell shares of the Subsidiary to other investors. The Fund will not invest in any non-U.S. equity securities (other than shares of the Subsidiary).

    The Fund's investment in the Subsidiary is designed to help the Fund achieve exposure to commodity returns in a manner consistent with the Federal tax requirements applicable to the Fund and other regulated investment companies. The Subsidiary will comply with the 1940 Act and will have essentially the same compliance policies and procedures as the Fund, except that, unlike the Fund, the Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity-linked investments. The Subsidiary will otherwise operate in essentially the same manner as the Fund. The Fund's Registration Statement states that, since the Subsidiary's investments are consolidated into the Fund's, the Fund's combined holdings (including the investments in the Subsidiary) must comply with the 1940 Act.

    The Subsidiary will achieve exposure to commodities through investments in a combination of listed commodity futures, commodity index swaps, and structured notes that provide commodity returns. A listed commodity future is a financial instrument in which a party agrees to pay a fixed price for a designated commodity at a specified future date. Listed commodity futures contracts are traded at market prices on exchanges pursuant to terms common to all market participants.[23] A swap agreement is an agreement between two parties to exchange cash flows or returns (or differences in return) on a reference instrument, such as commodity or commodity index, according to agreed upon terms.[24] The Subsidiary also may invest in commodity-linked notes.[25]

    The Shares

    According to the Registration Statement, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at net asset value (“NAV”) [26] only in large blocks of Shares, typically 100,000 Shares or more (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in transactions with Authorized Participants. Only institutional investors who have entered into an Authorized Participant agreement purchase or redeem Creation Unit Aggregations. The consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund (“Deposit Securities”) and an amount of cash (“Cash Component”). Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund. Shares may be redeemed from the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations. Upon delivery and settlement of the Shares upon redemption, the Fund will deliver to the redeeming Authorized Participant a designated basket of fixed income securities (“Portfolio Securities”) and Cash Component. Together, the Portfolio Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Redemption Payment.” The Redemption Payment may consist entirely of cash at the discretion of the Fund.

    Each business day prior to the opening of trading, the Fund will publish the specific securities and designated amount of cash included in that day's basket for the Fund through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) or other method of public dissemination. The Fund reserves the right to accept or pay out a basket of securities or cash that differs from the published basket. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received in proper form.

    Creations and redemptions must be made by an Authorized Participant or through a firm that is either a member of the NSCC or a Depository Trust Company participant, and in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations.

    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. All terms relating to the Fund that are referred to, but not defined in, this proposed rule change are defined in the Registration Statement.

    Availability of Information

    The Fund's Web site (http://www.wisdomtree.com), which will be publicly available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form of the Prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Web site will include additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis, including, for the Fund: (1) The prior Start Printed Page 27132business day's reported NAV, mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (“Bid/Ask Price”),[27] and a calculation of the premium and discount of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV; and (2) data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session [28] on the Exchange, the Trust will disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the portfolio of securities and other assets (“Disclosed Portfolio”) [29] held by the Fund and the Subsidiary that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.[30] The Web site and information will be publicly available at no charge.

    On a daily basis, the Adviser will disclose for each portfolio security or other financial instrument of the Fund the following information: Ticker symbol (if applicable), name or description of security or financial instrument; number of shares or dollar value of financial instruments held in the portfolio; and percentage weighting of the security or financial instrument in the portfolio.

    In addition, for the Fund, an estimated value, defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 as the “Portfolio Indicative Value,” that reflects an estimated intraday value of the Fund's portfolio, will be disseminated. The Portfolio Indicative Value will be based upon the current value for the components of the Disclosed Portfolio and will be updated and disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session on the Exchange. The dissemination of the Portfolio Indicative Value, together with the Disclosed Portfolio, will allow investors to determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily basis and to provide a close estimate of that value throughout the trading day.

    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 will be available free upon request from the Trust, and those documents and the Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission's Web site at http://www.sec.gov. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares is and 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.

    Initial and Continued Listing

    The Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d), which sets forth the initial and continued listing criteria applicable to Managed Fund Shares. The Exchange represents that, for initial and/or continued listing, the Fund must be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act,[31] as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will be outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per share for the Fund will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time.

    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. Shares of the Fund will be halted if the “circuit breaker” parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 are reached. Trading may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. These may include: (1) The extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities and/or the financial instruments comprising the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted.

    Trading Rules

    The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time in accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late Trading Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price variation (“MPV”) for quoting and entry of orders in equity securities traded on the NYSE Arca 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 includes Managed Fund Shares) 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 who are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.[32]

    Start Printed Page 27133

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

    Information Bulletin

    Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin (“Bulletin”) of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Unit Aggregations (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders to learn the essential facts relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading Sessions when an updated Portfolio Indicative Value will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the Portfolio 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. Eastern time 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) [33] that an exchange have rules that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.

    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and 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. According to the Registration Statement, the Fund currently expects that it will have at least 70% of its assets invested in investment grade securities, and no more than 30% of its assets invested in non-investment grade securities. The Fund will not invest more than 35% of its net assets in Fixed Income Securities of issuers in emerging markets. The Fund will invest only in corporate bonds that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems to be sufficiently liquid, and, generally, a corporate bond must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding and significant par value traded to be considered as an eligible investment. The U.S. and non-U.S. inflation linked bond markets, the corporate bond market, and emerging market debt markets in which the Fund may invest are characterized by substantial amounts outstanding, substantial liquidity, and price transparency. The Fund expects that no more than 30% of the value of the Fund's net assets will be invested in derivative instruments. Such investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective. Such investments also will not be used to enhance leverage. The Fund will not invest in any non-U.S. equity securities (other than shares of the Subsidiary).

    The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in that the Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time. In addition, a large amount of information is publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. The Fund's portfolio holdings will be disclosed on its Web site daily after the close of trading on the Exchange and prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange the following day. Moreover, the Portfolio Indicative Value will be disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's Core Trading Session. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares is and will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services, and quotation and last-sale information will be available via the CTA high-speed line. The Web site for the Fund will include a form of the Prospectus for the Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable quantitative information. Moreover, prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable, and trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the Portfolio Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last-sale information for the Shares.

    The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively managed exchange-traded product that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance procedures 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 holdings, the Portfolio Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last-sale information for the Shares.

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

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not Start Printed Page 27134necessary 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.

    The Exchange has requested accelerated approval of this proposed rule change prior to the 30th day after the date of publication of notice in the Federal Register. The Commission is considering granting accelerated approval of the proposed rule change at the end of a 21-day comment period.

    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

    Paper Comments

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

    All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2011-21. This file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/​rules/​sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2011-21 and should be submitted on or before May 31, 2011.

    Start Signature

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.[34]

    Elizabeth M. Murphy,

    Secretary.

    End Signature End Preamble

    Footnotes

    3.  NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(1) provides that a Managed Fund Share is a security that represents an interest in an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a) (“1940 Act”) organized as an open-end investment company or similar entity that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by its investment adviser consistent with its investment objectives and policies. In contrast, an open-end investment company that issues Investment Company Units, listed and traded on the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index, or combination thereof.

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    4.  The Commission approved NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 and the listing and trading of certain funds of the PowerShares Actively Managed Funds Trust on the Exchange pursuant to Rule 8.600 in Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57619 (April 4, 2008), 73 FR 19544 (April 10, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-25). The Commission also previously approved listing and trading on the Exchange, or trading on the Exchange pursuant to unlisted trading privileges (“UTP”), of a number of actively managed funds under Rule 8.600: See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 57801 (May 8, 2008), 73 FR 27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-31) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of twelve actively-managed funds of the WisdomTree Trust); 58564 (September 17, 2008), 73 FR 55194 (September 24, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-86) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund); 60981 (November 10, 2009), 74 FR 59594 (November 18, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-79) (order approving listing of five fixed income funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust); 62604 (July 30, 2010), 75 FR 47323 (August 5, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-49) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund); 62623 (August 2, 2010), 75 FR 47652 (August 6, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-51) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund); 63598 (December 22, 2010), 75 FR 82106 (December 29, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-98) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy Fund); 63919 (February 16, 2011), 76 FR 10073 (February 23, 2011) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-116) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund).

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    5.  See Post Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A for the Trust filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 4, 2011 (File Nos. 333-132380 and 811-21864) (“Registration Statement”). The descriptions of the Fund and the Shares contained herein are based on information in the Registration Statement.

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    6.  See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61697 (March 12, 2010), 75 FR 13616 (March 22, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-04) (“March 12, 2010 Order”).

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    7.  WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”) is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management.

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    8.  The Sub-Adviser is responsible for day-to-day management of the Fund and, as such, typically makes all decisions with respect to portfolio holdings. The Adviser has ongoing oversight responsibility.

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    9.  The Commission has issued an order granting certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28471 (October 27, 2008) (File No. 812-13458). In compliance with Commentary .04 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, the Trust's application for exemptive relief under the 1940 Act states that the Fund will comply with the Federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a).

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    10.  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.

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    11.  According to the U.S. Treasury Web site, as of March 17, 2011, the market for TIPS is the largest inflation indexed securities market in the world with over $550 billion of TIPS outstanding. (Source: United States Department of the Treasury, Overview of Treasury Inflation-Indexed Securities, http://www.treasury.gov/​resource-center/​fin-mkts/​Pages/​tips.aspx). The Adviser represents that this market is highly liquid and transparent.

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    12.  As of December 31, 2010, the total market capitalization of inflation-linked bonds in the Barclays Capital World Inflation Linked Index, a leading index of inflation-linked bonds in developed markets outside the United States, was approximately $1 trillion. As of December 31, 2010, the total market capitalization of inflation-linked bonds in the Barclays Capital Emerging Markets Government Inflation Linked Bond Index, a leading index of inflation-linked debt issued by emerging market governments, was approximately $408 billion. The Adviser represents that inflation-linked bonds outside the United States are issued in large par size (i.e., $200 million or more) and tend to be liquid. Intra-day, executable price quotations on such instruments are available from major broker-dealer firms. Intra-day price information is available through subscription services, such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters, which can be accessed by Authorized Participants and other investors.

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    13.  According to the Adviser, while there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes an “emerging market,” in general, emerging market countries are characterized by developing commercial and financial infrastructure with significant potential for economic growth and increased capital market participation by foreign investors. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser look at a variety of commonly used factors when determining whether a country is an “emerging” market. In general, the Adviser and Sub-Adviser consider a country to be an emerging market if:

    (1) It is either (a) classified by the World Bank in the lower middle or upper middle income designation for one of the past 3 years (i.e., per capita gross national product of less than U.S. $9,385), or (b) classified by the World Bank as high income in each of the last three years, but with a currency that has been primarily traded on a non-delivered basis by offshore investors (e.g., Korea and Taiwan); and

    (2) The country's debt market is considered relatively accessible by foreign investors in terms of capital flow and settlement considerations; and

    (3) The country has issued the equivalent of $5 billion in local currency sovereign debt. The criteria used to evaluate whether a country is an “emerging market” will change from time to time based on economic and other events.

    The category of “emerging market bonds” includes both U.S. dollar-denominated debt and non-U.S. or “local” currency debt. The global market for local currency debt is larger and more actively traded than the global market for dollar-denominated debt. The total dollar amount of emerging market debt instruments traded through September 30, 2010 was $4.903 trillion. Turnover in local currency debt instruments during the same period was $3.44 trillion and accounted for approximately 70% of the total turnover in emerging market debt instruments. For calendar year 2009, the total dollar amount of emerging market debt instruments traded was $4.445 trillion. Turnover in local currency debt instruments in 2009 was $2.870 trillion and accounted for approximately 65% of the total turnover in emerging market debt instruments. (Source: Emerging Markets Traders Association Press Release(s) dated December 8, 2010, August 12, 2010, May 20, 2010, and March 8, 2010). As of December 31, 2010, the total market capitalization of emerging market local currency sovereign debt in the J.P. Morgan Government Bonds Index—Emerging Markets Global (“GBI-EM Global”) was $791 billion. This is an increase from $625 billion at the end of September 2009. The GBI-EM Global is a widely followed index of regularly traded, liquid, fixed-rate domestic currency government bonds. As of December 31, 2010, the market capitalization of emerging market dollar-denominated bonds in the J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (“EMBI”) was approximately $370 billion. This is up from $326 billion at the end of September 2009. The EMBI is a widely followed index of U.S. dollar denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities. (Source: J.P. Morgan as of December 31, 2010 and September 30, 2009). The Adviser represents that sovereign debt of many emerging market countries is issued in large par size and tends to be liquid. Locally denominated debt issued by supra-national entities, such as the European Investment Bank or the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is also actively traded. Intra-day, executable price quotations on emerging market debt instruments, including all instruments described above, are available from major broker-dealer firms. Intra-day price information is available through subscription services, such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters, which can be accessed by Authorized Participants and other investors.

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    14.  As of December 31, 2010, government debt of the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and South Africa was rated investment grade by S&P and Fitch. As noted, the Fund intends to focus its investment outside the United States in commodity-producing countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and South Africa.

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    15.  The Adviser represents that the size and liquidity of the market for corporate bonds, including corporate bonds of emerging market issuers, generally, has been increasing in recent years. The aggregate dollar amount of emerging market corporate bonds traded through the first three quarters of 2010 ($563 billion) exceeded the amount traded for the entire calendar year in 2009 ($514 billion). The $514 billion traded in 2009 represented a substantial increase over the amount traded in 2008 ($380 billion). Turnover in emerging market corporate debt has also increased significantly. Turnover in emerging market corporate debt through the first three quarters of 2010 was approximately 11.5% of the overall volume of emerging market debt of $4.903 trillion for the same period. This is similar to calendar year 2009 where turnover in emerging market corporate debt accounted for 12% of the overall volume of emerging market debt of $4.445 trillion in 2009, an increase over the 9% share in 2008. (Source: Emerging Markets Traders Association Press Release(s), December 8, 2010, August 12, 2010, May 20, 2010, and March 8, 2010.)

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    16.  See Form N-1A, Item 9. The Commission has taken the position that a fund is concentrated if it invests more than 25% of the value of its total assets in any one industry. See, e.g., Investment Company Act Release No. 9011 (October 30, 1975), 40 FR 54241 (November 21, 1975).

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    17.  A “non-diversified company,” as defined in Section 5(b)(2) of the 1940 Act, means any management company other than a diversified company (as defined in Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act).

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    19.  An inflation-linked swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments at a future date based on the difference between a fixed payment and a payment linked to an inflation rate or value at a future date. A typical interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment.

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    20.  See 15 U.S.C. 80a-18. See also Investment Company Act Release No. 10666 (April 18, 1979), 44 FR 25128 (April 27, 1979); Dreyfus Strategic Investing, Commission No-Action Letter (June 22, 1987); Merrill Lynch Asset Management, L.P., Commission No-Action Letter (July 2, 1996).

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    21.  The Fund and the Subsidiary (as defined herein) will invest only in currencies, and instruments that provide exposure to such currencies, that have significant foreign exchange turnover and are included in the Bank for International Settlements Triennial Central Bank Survey, December 2007 (“BIS Survey”). Specifically, the Fund and Subsidiary may invest in currencies, and instruments that provide exposure to such currencies, selected from the top 40 currencies (as measured by percentage share of average daily turnover for the applicable month and year) included in the BIS Survey.

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    22.  The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR 14617 (March 18, 2008), footnote 34. See also Investment Company Act Release No. 5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31, 1970) (Statement Regarding “Restricted Securities”); Investment Company Act Release No. 18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20, 1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N-1A). A fund's portfolio security is illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933).

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    23.  The Subsidiary's investments will be subject to applicable requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.) and rules thereunder, and to rules of applicable U.S. futures exchanges.

    The Subsidiary's investments in commodity futures contracts will be limited by the application of position limits imposed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. futures exchanges intended to prevent undue influence on prices by a single trader or group of affiliated traders. The Adviser has represented that the Subsidiary intends to invest only in listed futures contracts that are heavily traded and are based on some of the world's most liquid and actively-traded commodities. The Subsidiary intends to invest in or have exposure to the following listed futures contracts: Cocoa; coffee; corn; cotton; light crude oil; gold; heating oil; high grade copper; lean hogs; live cattle; natural gas; silver; soybeans; sugar; unleaded gas; and wheat. As of December 31, 2010, the three month Average Daily Dollar Volume (“ADDV”) of each of these contracts was: Cocoa (ADDV $224,966,443); coffee (ADDV $763,835,166); cotton (ADDV $902,108,625); corn (ADDV $4.308,052,565); crude oil (ADDV $29,502,020,531); gold (ADDV $13,311,058,209); heating oil (ADDV $4,890,080,900); high grade copper (ADDV $106,356,378); lean hogs (ADDV $517,336,897); live cattle (ADDV $751,594,460); natural gas (ADDV $4,981,670,245); silver (ADDV $3,500,016,194); soybeans (ADDV $4,397,418.179); sugar (ADDV $1,808,678,695); unleaded gas (ADDV $3,950,780,447); and wheat (ADDV $1,675,560,847).

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    24.  The Subsidiary intends to enter into over-the-counter swap transactions only with respect to transactions based on the commodities described herein or on major commodity indexes or indicators, such as the S&P GSCI Total Return Index, Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Returns Index or the AFT Commodity Trends Indicator (each, an “Index”). Each Index is widely followed and serves as the basis for a variety of investment products (such as swap contracts). Intra-day, executable price quotations on such Indexes and commodities are available from major broker-dealer firms. Intra-day price information is available through subscription services, such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters, which can be accessed by Authorized Participants and other investors.

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    25.  Commodity-linked notes are over-the-counter debt instruments, typically issued by a bank or broker-dealer, that are designed to provide cash flows linked to the value of a reference asset. They provide exposure, which may include long and/or short exposure, to the investment returns of the reference asset underlying the note. The performance of these notes is determined by the price movement of the reference asset underlying the note. The Subsidiary's investment in commodity-linked notes will be limited to notes providing exposure to the commodities described herein or any commodity index. As noted, there is a liquid and active market for the commodities described herein. Intra-day and end-of-day prices are readily available through Bloomberg, other major market data providers and broker-dealers for the listed futures contracts and commodities described herein. As a result, information necessary to evaluate the value of any swap or commodity-linked note purchased by the Subsidiary will be readily available to market participants.

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    26.  The NAV of the Fund's Shares generally will be calculated once daily Monday through Friday as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (“NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per Share will be calculated by dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of Fund Shares outstanding. For more information regarding the valuation of Fund investments in calculating the Fund's NAV, see the Registration Statement.

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    27.  The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be determined using the midpoint 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/or its service providers.

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    28.  The Core Trading Session is 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time.

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    29.  The Exchange notes that NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii) provides that the Reporting Authority that provides the Disclosed Portfolio must implement and maintain, or be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the actual components of the portfolio.

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    30.  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”). 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 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.

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    32.  For a list of the current members of ISG, see http://www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all of the components of the Disclosed Portfolio for the Fund may trade on exchanges that are members of ISG.

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    [FR Doc. 2011-11327 Filed 5-9-11; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 8011-01-P

Document Information

Comments Received:
0 Comments
Published:
05/10/2011
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
2011-11327
Pages:
27127-27134 (8 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Release No. 34-64411, File No. SR-NYSEArca-2011-21
EOCitation:
of 2011-05-05
PDF File:
2011-11327.pdf