[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17525-17526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07365]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-74591; File No. SR-CME-2015-010]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rules Change 
To Amend Listing Rules for New CDX Indexes Available for Clearing

March 26, 2015.
    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 March 23, 2015, Chicago Mercantile Exchange 
Inc. (``CME'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II 
and III, below, which Items have been prepared primarily by CME. CME 
filed the proposal pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(ii) \3\ of the Act, 
and Rule 19b-4(f)(2) \4\ thereunder, so that the proposal was effective 
upon filing with the Commission. The Commission is publishing this 
notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested 
persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
    \3\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
    \4\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(2).
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    CME is filing a proposed rule change that is limited to its 
business as a derivatives clearing organization. More specifically, the 
proposed rule change would make amendments to its rules regarding the 
listing of new CDS indexes available for clearing.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, CME included statements 
concerning the purpose and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. CME has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, 
and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    CME is registered as a derivatives clearing organization with the 
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') and currently offers 
clearing services for many different futures and swaps products. With 
this filing, CME proposes to make rulebook changes that are limited to 
its business clearing futures and swaps under the exclusive 
jurisdiction of the CFTC. More specifically, the proposed changes would 
make amendments to its rules regarding the listing of new CDS indexes 
available for clearing.
    CME offers clearing for CDX North American Investment Grade (Series 
8-24) and CDX North American High Yield (14-24) Index Contracts. 
Further, CME plans to clear all future on-the-run series of the 
respective indices on a going forward basis. The proposed amendments 
would permit CME to maintain a list on its Web site of each index that 
a cleared CDX Index Untranched CDS Contract may reference, in lieu of 
maintaining such list in Appendix 1 to Rule 802, as it currently does. 
CME currently maintains on its Web site a similar list for iTraxx 
Europe Index Untranched CDS Contracts; the amendments proposed hereby 
would simply conform CME's practice for maintaining the list of indices 
for CDX Index Untranched CDS Contracts to CME's existing practice for 
maintaining the list of indices for iTraxx Europe Index Untranched CDS 
Contracts. The proposed amendments would affect CME Rules 80202.A.B. 
and 80202.B. and Appendix 1 of Rule 802.
    The proposed rule change that is described in this filing is 
limited to its business as a derivatives clearing organization clearing 
products under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures 
Trading Commission (``CFTC''). CME has not cleared security based swaps 
and does not plan to and therefore the proposed rule change does not 
impact CME's security-based swap clearing business in any way. The 
proposed rule change would become effective immediately. CME notes that 
it has also submitted the proposed rule change that is the subject of 
this filing to its primary regulator, the CFTC, in CME Submission 14-
095.
    CME believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
requirements of the Exchange Act including Section 17A of the Exchange

[[Page 17526]]

Act.\5\ The revisions to Rules 80202.A.B. and 80202.B.B. and to 
Appendix 1 to Rule 802 will conform CME's practice for listing indices 
for cleared CDX Index Untranched CDS Contracts to its existing practice 
for listing indices for cleared iTraxx Europe Index Untranched CDS 
Contracts. These amendments would provide market participants with a 
consistent format for identifying product eligibility requirements and 
should therefore be seen to be designed to promote the prompt and 
accurate clearance and settlement of securities transactions and, to 
the extent applicable, derivatives agreements, contracts, and 
transactions, to assure the safeguarding of securities and funds which 
are in the custody or control of the clearing agency or for which it is 
responsible, and, in general, to protect investors and the public 
interest consistent with Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of the Exchange Act.\6\
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1.
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3)(F).
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    Furthermore, the proposed rule change is limited to CME's futures 
and swaps clearing businesses, which mean they are limited in their 
effect to products that are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the 
CFTC. As such, the changes are limited to CME's activities as a DCO 
clearing futures that are not security futures and swaps that are not 
security-based swaps. CME notes that the policies of the CFTC with 
respect to administering the Commodity Exchange Act are comparable to a 
number of the policies underlying the Exchange Act, such as promoting 
market transparency for over-the-counter derivatives markets, promoting 
the prompt and accurate clearance of transactions and protecting 
investors and the public interest.
    Because the proposed rule change is limited in their effect to 
CME's futures and swaps clearing businesses, the proposed rule change 
is properly classified as effecting a change in an existing service of 
CME that:
    (a) Primarily affects the clearing operations of CME with respect 
to products that are not securities, including futures that are not 
security futures, swaps that are not security-based swaps or mixed 
swaps; and forwards that are not security forwards; and
    (b) does not significantly affect any securities clearing 
operations of CME or any rights or obligations of CME with respect to 
securities clearing or persons using such securities-clearing service.

As such, the changes are therefore consistent with the requirements of 
Section 17A of the Exchange Act \7\ and are properly filed under 
Section 19(b)(3)(A) \8\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(4)(ii) \9\ thereunder.
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1.
    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(4)(ii).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    CME does not believe that the proposed rule change will have any 
impact, or impose any burden, on competition. The proposed amendments 
would simply provide market participants with a consistent format for 
identifying product eligibility requirements. Further, the changes are 
limited to CME's futures and swaps clearing businesses and, as such, do 
not affect the security-based swap clearing activities of CME in any 
way and therefore do not impose any burden on competition that is 
inappropriate 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

    CME has not solicited, and does not intend to solicit, comments 
regarding this proposed rule change. CME has not received any 
unsolicited written comments from interested parties.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    The foregoing rule change has become effective upon filing pursuant 
to Section 19(b)(3)(A) \10\ of the Act and Rule 19b-4(f)(4)(ii) \11\ 
thereunder. At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed 
rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
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    \10\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(4)(ii).
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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

    <bullet> Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml), or
    <bullet> Send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ec9e998089c18f8381818982989fac9f898fc28b839a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e092958c85cd838f8d8d858e9493a0938583ce878f96">[email protected]</span></a>. Please include 
File No. SR-CME-2015-010 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

    <bullet> Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities 
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-CME-2015-010. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help 
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference 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 CME and on CME's Web 
site at http://www.cmegroup.com/market-regulation/rule-filings.html.
    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-CME-2015-010 and 
should be submitted on or before April 22, 2015.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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    \12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-07365 Filed 3-31-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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