26506 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2018 / Notices 

1Applicants request that the order apply to the 

Initial Fund, as well as to future series of the Trust 

and any other existing or future open-end 

management investment companies or series 

thereof (each, included in the term ‘‘Fund’’), each 

of which will operate as an actively-managed ETF. 

Any Fund will (a) be advised by the Initial Adviser 

or an entity controlling, controlled by, or under 

common control with the Initial Adviser (each of 

the foregoing and any successor thereto included in 

the term ‘‘Adviser’’) or any successor thereto, and 

(b) comply with the terms and conditions of the 

application. For purposes of the requested Order, a 

‘‘successor’’ is limited to an entity or entities that 

result from a reorganization into another 

jurisdiction or a change in the type of business 

organization. 

are available at www.prc.gov, Docket 

Nos. MC2018–160, CP2018–230. 

Elizabeth Reed, 

Attorney, Corporate and Postal Business Law. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12254 Filed 6–6–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Investment Company Act Release No. 

33112; 812–14871] 

Sprott ETF Trust and Sprott Asset 

Management USA Inc. 

June 1, 2018. 

AGENCY: Securities and Exchange 

Commission (‘‘Commission’’). 

ACTION: Notice. 

Notice of an application for an order 

under section 6(c) of the Investment 

Company Act of 1940 (the ‘‘Act’’) for an 

exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 

5(a)(1), 22(d), and 22(e) of the Act and 

rule 22c–1 under the Act, under 

sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an 

exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 

17(a)(2) of the Act, and under section 

12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from 

sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(B) of 

the Act. The requested order would 

permit (a) actively-managed series of 

certain open-end management 

investment companies (‘‘Funds’’) to 

issue shares redeemable in large 

aggregations only (‘‘Creation Units’’); (b) 

secondary market transactions in Fund 

shares to occur at negotiated market 

prices rather than at net asset value 

(‘‘NAV’’); (c) certain Funds to pay 

redemption proceeds, under certain 

circumstances, more than seven days 

after the tender of shares for 

redemption; (d) certain affiliated 

persons of a Fund to deposit securities 

into, and receive securities from, the 

Fund in connection with the purchase 

and redemption of Creation Units; (e) 

certain registered management 

investment companies and unit 

investment trusts outside of the same 

group of investment companies as the 

Funds (‘‘Funds of Funds’’) to acquire 

shares of the Funds; and (f) certain 

Funds (‘‘Feeder Funds’’) to create and 

redeem Creation Units in-kind in a 

master-feeder structure. 

Applicants: Sprott ETF Trust 

(‘‘Trust’’), a Delaware statutory trust that 

will be registered under the Act as an 

open-end management investment 

company with multiple series, and 

Sprott Asset Management USA Inc. 

(‘‘Initial Adviser’’), a California 

corporation registered as an investment 

adviser under the Investment Advisers 

Act of 1940. 

Filing Dates: The application was 

filed on January 23, 2018 and amended 

on May 22, 2018. 

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 June 26, 2018, and 

should be accompanied by proof of 

service on applicants, in the form of an 

affidavit, or for lawyers, a certificate of 

service. Pursuant to rule 0–5 under the 

Act, hearing requests should state the 

nature of the writer’s interest, any facts 

bearing upon the desirability of a 

hearing on the matter, 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, Securities and 

Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20549–1090; 

Applicants: Bibb L. Strench, Esq., 

Thompson Hine LLP, 1919 M Street 

NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036– 

3537; Thomas W. Ulrich, Esq., Sprott 

Asset Management USA Inc., 1910 

Palomar Point Way, Suite 200, Carlsbad, 

CA 92008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Courtney S. Thornton, Senior Counsel, 

at (202) 551–6812, or Andrea 

Ottomanelli Magovern, Branch Chief, at 

(202) 551–6821 (Division of Investment 

Management, Chief Counsel’s Office). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following is a summary of the 

application. The complete application 

may be obtained via the Commission’s 

website by searching for the file 

number, or for an applicant using the 

Company name box, at http://

www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by 

calling (202) 551–8090. 

Summary of the Application 

1. Applicants request an order that 

would allow Funds to operate as 

actively-managed exchange traded 

funds (‘‘ETFs’’).1 Fund shares will be 

purchased and redeemed at their NAV 

in Creation Units only. All orders to 

purchase Creation Units and all 

redemption requests will be placed by 

or through an ‘‘Authorized Participant,’’ 

which will have signed a participant 

agreement with a broker-dealer 

registered under the Securities 

Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Exchange Act’’) 

(‘‘Distributor’’). Shares will be listed and 

traded individually on a national 

securities exchange, where share prices 

will be based on the current bid/offer 

market. Certain Funds may operate as 

Feeder Funds in a master-feeder 

structure. Any order granting the 

requested relief would be subject to the 

terms and conditions stated in the 

application. 

2. Each Fund will consist of a 

portfolio of securities and other assets 

and investment positions (‘‘Portfolio 

Instruments’’). Each Fund will disclose 

on its website the identities and 

quantities of the Portfolio Instruments 

that will form the basis for the Fund’s 

calculation of NAV at the end of the 

day. 

3. Shares will be purchased and 

redeemed in Creation Units and 

generally on an in-kind basis. Except 

where the purchase or redemption will 

include cash under the limited 

circumstances specified in the 

application, purchasers will be required 

to purchase Creation Units by 

depositing specified instruments 

(‘‘Deposit Instruments’’), and 

shareholders redeeming their shares 

will receive specified instruments 

(‘‘Redemption Instruments’’). The 

Deposit Instruments and the 

Redemption Instruments will each 

correspond pro rata to the positions in 

the Fund’s portfolio (including cash 

positions) except as specified in the 

application. 

4. Because shares will not be 

individually redeemable, applicants 

request an exemption from section 

5(a)(1) and section 2(a)(32) of the Act 

that would permit the Funds to register 

as open-end management investment 

companies and issue shares that are 

redeemable in Creation Units only. 

5. Applicants also request an 

exemption from section 22(d) of the Act 

and rule 22c–1 under the Act as 

secondary market trading in shares will 

take place at negotiated prices, not at a 

current offering price described in a 

Fund’s prospectus, and not at a price 

based on NAV. Applicants state that (a) 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2018 / Notices 26507 

2The requested relief would apply to direct sales 

of shares in Creation Units by a Fund to a Fund of 

Funds and redemptions of those shares. Applicants, 

moreover, are not seeking relief from section 17(a) 

for, and the requested relief will not apply to, 

transactions where a Fund could be deemed an 

Affiliated Person, or a Second-Tier Affiliate, of a 

Fund of Funds because an investment adviser to the 

Funds is also an investment adviser to a Fund of 

Funds. 

1 15 U.S.C.78s(b)(1). 

2 15 U.S.C. 78a. 

3 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 

secondary market trading in shares does 

not involve a Fund as a party and will 

not 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 

represent that share market prices will 

be disciplined by arbitrage 

opportunities, which should prevent 

shares from trading at a material 

discount or premium from NAV. 

6. With respect to Funds that hold 

non-U.S. Portfolio Instruments and that 

effect creations and redemptions of 

Creation Units in kind, applicants 

request relief from the requirement 

imposed by section 22(e) in order to 

allow such Funds to pay redemption 

proceeds within fifteen calendar days 

following the tender of Creation Units 

for redemption. Applicants assert that 

the requested relief would not be 

inconsistent with the spirit and intent of 

section 22(e) to prevent unreasonable, 

undisclosed or unforeseen delays in the 

actual payment of redemption proceeds. 

7. Applicants request an exemption to 

permit Funds of Funds to acquire Fund 

shares beyond the limits of section 

12(d)(1)(A) of the Act; and the Funds, 

and any principal underwriter for the 

Funds, and/or any broker or dealer 

registered under the Exchange Act, to 

sell shares to Funds of Funds beyond 

the limits of section 12(d)(1)(B) of the 

Act. The application’s terms and 

conditions are designed to, among other 

things, help prevent any potential (i) 

undue influence over a Fund through 

control or voting power, or in 

connection with certain services, 

transactions, and underwritings, (ii) 

excessive layering of fees, and (iii) 

overly complex fund structures, which 

are the concerns underlying the limits 

in sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the 

Act. 

8. Applicants request an exemption 

from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the 

Act to permit a person who is an 

affiliated person, as defined in section 

2(a)(3) of the Act (‘‘Affiliated Person’’), 

or an affiliated person of an Affiliated 

Person (‘‘Second-Tier Affiliate’’), of the 

Funds, solely by virtue of certain 

ownership interests, to effectuate 

purchases and redemptions in-kind. The 

deposit procedures for in-kind 

purchases of Creation Units and the 

redemption procedures for in-kind 

redemptions of Creation Units will be 

the same for all purchases and 

redemptions and Deposit Instruments 

and Redemption Instruments will be 

valued in the same manner as those 

Portfolio Instruments currently held by 

the Funds. Applicants also seek relief 

from the prohibitions on affiliated 

transactions in section 17(a) to permit a 

Fund to sell its shares to and redeem its 

shares from a Fund of Funds, and to 

engage in the accompanying in-kind 

transactions with the Fund of Funds.2

The purchase of Creation Units by a 

Fund of Funds directly from a Fund will 

be accomplished in accordance with the 

policies of the Fund of Funds and will 

be based on the NAVs of the Funds. 

9. Applicants also request relief to 

permit a Feeder Fund to acquire shares 

of another registered investment 

company managed by the Adviser 

having substantially the same 

investment objectives as the Feeder 

Fund (‘‘Master Fund’’) beyond the 

limitations in section 12(d)(1)(A) and 

permit the Master Fund, and any 

principal underwriter for the Master 

Fund, to sell shares of the Master Fund 

to the Feeder Fund beyond the 

limitations in section 12(d)(1)(B). 

10. Section 6(c) of the Act permits the 

Commission to exempt any persons or 

transactions from any provision of the 

Act if 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 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. 

Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the 

Commission to grant an order 

permitting a transaction otherwise 

prohibited by section 17(a) if it finds 

that (a) the terms of the proposed 

transaction are fair and reasonable and 

do not involve overreaching on the part 

of any person concerned; (b) the 

proposed transaction is consistent with 

the policies of each registered 

investment company involved; and (c) 

the proposed transaction is consistent 

with the general purposes of the Act. 

For the Commission, by the Division of 

Investment Management, under delegated 

authority. 

Eduardo A. Aleman, 

Assistant Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12191 Filed 6–6–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8011–01–P 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Release No. 34–83359; File No. SR–NYSE– 

2018–22] 

Self-Regulatory Organizations; New 

York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of 

Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of 

Proposed Rule Change To Amend the 

Content of the NYSE Best Quote & 

Trades Data Feed 

June 1, 2018. 

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 

‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3

notice is hereby given that on May 18, 

2018, New York Stock Exchange LLC 

(‘‘NYSE’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) 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 self-regulatory 

organization. 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 the Substance 

of the Proposed Rule Change 

The Exchange proposes to amend the 

content of the NYSE Best Quote & 

Trades (‘‘NYSE BQT’’) data feed. The 

proposed rule change is available on the 

Exchange’s website at www.nyse.com, at 

the principal office of the Exchange, and 

at the Commission’s Public Reference 

Room. 

II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Purpose of, and 

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule 

Change 

In its filing with the Commission, the 

self-regulatory organization included 

statements concerning the purpose of, 

and basis for, the proposed rule change 

and discussed any comments it received 

on the proposed rule change. The text 

of those statements may be examined at 

the places specified in Item IV below. 

The Exchange has prepared summaries, 

set forth in sections A, B, and C below, 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES