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U N I T E D STATES
S E C U R I T I E S A N D EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
DIVISION O F
TRADING AND MARKETS
November 10,2008
Robert W. Murray
Baker Botts L.L.P.
30 Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10112
Re:
AirShares EU Carbon Allowances Fund and XShares Advisors LLC
File No. TP 08-86
Dear Mr. Murray:
In your letter dated November 10,2008, as supplemented by conversations with
the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets ("Staff '), you request on behalf of
AirShares EU Carbon Allowances Fund ("ArShares" or "Fund") and XShares Advisors
LLC ("Sponsor") on their own behalf as well as on behalf of (1) The Wilmington Trust
Company, (2) ALPS Distributors, Inc. ("Distributor"), (3) Kellogg Specialist Group,
LLC, (4) Brown Brothers Harrirnan & Co., (4) Newedge USA, LLC, (5) the New York
Stock Exchange and any other national securities exchange or association on or through
which Shares may subsequently trade, and (6) persons or entities engaging in transactions
in Shares, no-action relief &om Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") in connection with secondary market
transactions in Shares and the creation or redemption of Baskets, as discussed in your
letter. This response is attached to the enclosed photocopy of your correspondence. Each
defined term in t h s letter has the same meaning as defined in your letter, unless
otherwise noted herein.
You represent in your letter that, but for the fact that AirShares references an
intangible commodity (emission allowances), the issuer, selling securities holders, or
distribution participants could rely on the class no-action relief fi-om Rules 101 and 102
of Regulation M granted to Commodity-Based Investment vehicles.' You also represent
that the market value of the Shares are expected to rise and fall based primarily on
changes in the value of the Fund's holdings, which is expected to correlate generally to
increases and decreases in the value of December ECX CFIs. You also note in your letter
that the Sponsor expects that neither the creation nor the redemption of Baskets of Shares
nor purchases or sales of Shares in the secondary market to significantly impact their
1
Letter fi-om Racquel L. Russell, Branch Chief, Division of Market Regulation, to
George T. Simon, Esq., Foley & Lardner LLP, dated June 21,2006 (Rydex
Specialized Products LLC).
Robert W. Murray
November 10,2008
Page 2 of 2
NAV and, fwther, that such transactions will not have a significant impact on the market
price for the Shares.
On the basis of these representations and the other representations and facts in
your letter, the Staff will not recommend to the Securities and Exchange Commission
("Coinmission") enforcement action under Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M with
regard to persons and entities engaging in the creation, redemption, and secondary market
transactions in Shares. Further, the Staff will not recommend to the Commission
enforcement action under Rule 101 of Regulation M if the Distributor publishes certain
limited market-related information on the Fund's website as described in your letter.
The foregoing no-action positions taken under Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation
M are based solely on your representations and the facts presented, and are strictly
limited to the application of those rules to transactions involving Shares under the
circumstances described above and in your letter. Such transactions should be
discontinued, pending presentation of the facts for our consideration, in the event that any
material change occurs with respect to any of those facts or representations. Moreover,
the foregoing no-action positions taken under Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M are
subject to the condition that such transactions in Shares or any related securities are not
made for the purpose of creating actual, or apparent, active trading in or raising or
otherwise affecting the price of such securities.
The foregoing no-action positions are subject to modification or revocation if at
any time the Commission determines that such action is necessary or appropriate in
furtherance of the purposes of the Exchange Act. In addition, persons relying on these
no-action positions are directed to the anti-fiaud and anti-manipulationprovisions of the
Exchange Act, particularly Sections 9(a), 10(b), and Rule lob-5 thereunder.
Responsibility for compliance with these and other provisions of the federal or state
securities laws must rest with persons relying on these no-action positions. The Staff
expresses no view with respect to other questions that the proposed transactions may
raise, including, but not limited to, the adequacy of disclosure concerning, and the
applicability of other federal or state laws or rules or regulations of any self-regulatory
organizations to, the proposed transactions.
' ~ o s e ~ i J.
n Tao
e
Assistant Director
Attachment
BAKER BOTTS u.P
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November 10,2008
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Rule 101 and Rule 102 of Reg M
6
L
AUSTIN
BEUlNG
DALLAS
DUBAI
HONG KONG
HOUSTON
LONDON
MOSCOW
NEW YORK
PAL0 ALTO
RIYADH
WASHINGTON
Mr. James A. Brigagliano
Associate Director
Division of Trading and Markets
Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20549-1001
Re:
Request of ~ i r s h a r e s ' ~EU
~ ) Carbon Allowances Fund and XShares
Advisors LLC for Exemptive, Interpretative or No-Action Relief from
Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
Dear Mr. Brigagliano:
We are writing on behalf of ~ i r ~ h a r e sEU
(~~
Carbon
)
Allowances Fund, a
Delaware statutory trust ("AirShares" or the "Fund"), and XShares Advisors LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company and the sponsor of the Fund ("XShares" or the "Sponsor"). AirShares
is a public commodity pool and XShares is a registered commodity pool operator ("CPO").
The Fund and the Sponsor, on behalf of themselves and on behalf of The
Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee of the Fund, ALPS Distributors, Inc., which will provide
certain distribution-related administrative services for the Fund (the "Distributor"), Kellogg
Specialist Group, LLC, which will provide certain advisory services to the Sponsor ("Kellogg"),
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. ("Brown Brothers"), which will act as the administrator of the
Fund, Newedge USA, LLC, which will serve as the Fund's clearing futures broker, the New
York Stock Exchange, Inc. ("NYSE") and any other national securities exchange or national
securities association on or through which units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in, and
ownership of, the Fund (the "Shares") may trade (each such market being a "Market"), and all
persons or entities (including the Authorized Participants referred to below) engaging in
transactions in the Shares, hereby request from the Staff of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") or from the Commission itself, as appropriate, exemptions
from, or interpretive or no-action advice or relief regarding, Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), in connection
with secondary market transactions in the Shares and the creation and redemption of Baskets of
Shares and related relief, as described below.
The relief requested herein is substantially similar to the no-action relief
previously granted by the Commission under Rules 101 and 102 on a class-wide basis to certain
commodity-based, exchange traded investment vehicles ("CBIVs"). See the letter from Racquel
L. Russell, Branch Chief, Office of Trading Practices and Processing, Division of Market
BAKER BOrrS L.L.P
Page 2 of 21
November 7,2008
Regulation, to George T. Simon, Foley & Lardner LLP, dated June 21, 2006, with respect to
transactions in shares of CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust, CurrencyShares
Australian Dollar Trust, CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust, CurrencyShares Mexican Peso
Trust, CurrencyShares Swedish Krona Trust and CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (the "Rydex
Letter"), and predecessor letters'. The Rydex Letter states that the Staff will no longer respond
to requests for relief from Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M relating to CBIVs unless novel or
unusual issues are presented. We believe those types of issues are presented here, in that the
Fund will hold futures contracts not for physical commodities, but for intangible commodities
consisting of emissions allowances ("EUAs") issued under the European Union Emissions
Trading Scheme (the "EU ETS"). The EU ETS is a multi-national "cap and trade" greenhouse
gas emissions trading system, and an EUA is an entitlement to emit 1,000 tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalent gas ("C02e"). The EU ETS, which commenced operation in 2005, was
implemented by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in furtherance
of the commitment of the European Union under the Kyoto Protocol to achieve an 8% reduction
in its emissions of C02eby 2012 compared to 1990 levels.
Though the Fund will hold futures contracts for intangible EUAs rather than
physical commodities, as discussed herein AirShares is analytically analogous to the CBIVs that
have been granted class relief in the Rydex Letter. Moreover, the Fund and the Sponsor believe
that the relief requested in this letter is consistent with the public interest and the protection of
investors, and that the grant of such relief would further the purposes intended by the policies
and provisions of Regulation M and the Exchange Act. Accordingly, and as explained below,
we request that the relief under Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M granted in the Rydex Letter
be extended to secondary transactions in Shares of the Fund and to the creation and redemption
of Baskets of Shares.
1.
Relevant Facts.
A.
The Fund and its Investment Obiective
AirShares was formed as a Delaware statutory trust on August 13, 2007 and has
not yet commenced operations. The trustee of the Fund is Wilmington Trust Company (the
"Trustee"). The Fund is a commodity pool within the meaning of the Commodity Exchange Act,
as amended (the "CEA"), and will be operated by XShares, as CPO and Sponsor, in
consideration of an asset-based fee. XShares' registration under the CEA as a CPO became
1
The Staff has previously granted relief in connection with the shares of other commodity-based, exchange
traded investment vehicles that: (1) hold physical commodities (see, e.g., letters from James A Brigagliano, Esq.,
Assistant Director, Division of Market Regulation, to David Yeres, Esq., Clifford Chance US LLP, dated January
27, 2005 (ishares COMEX Gold Trust) and to Kathleen H. Moriarty Esq., Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP, dated
November 17, 2004 (streetTRACKS Gold Trust); and letter from James A. Brigagliano, Esq., Acting Associate
Director, Division of Market Regulation, to David Yeres, Esq., Clifford Chance US LLP, dated April 27, 2006
(ishares Silver Trust); (2) hold foreign-based currency (see, e.g., letter from James A. Brigagliano, Esq., Assistant
Director, Division of Market Regulation, to George T. Simon, Esq., Foley & Lardner LLP, dated December 5, 2005
(Euro Currency Trust); or (3) are organized as commodity pools (see, e.g., letter from James A Brigagliano, Esq.,
Assistant Director, Division of Market Regulation, to Michael Schmidtberger, Esq., Sidley Austin LLP, dated
January 19, 2006 (DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund) and letter from James A. Brigagliano, Esq., Acting
Associate Director, Division of Market Regulation, to James M. Cain, Esq., Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan LLP,
dated April 7,2005 (U.S. Oil Fund).
BAKER BO'CTS L.1.p
Page 3 of 21
November 7,2008
effective on March 25, 2008. The Fund intends to list its Shares on NYSE Arca, thereby
providing investors with an intra-day trading market2.
As Sponsor, XShares will own a minimal equity interest in the Fund. The
Sponsor will have exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Fund
pursuant to the terms of the Fund's organizational documents, including the power to hire and
fire the Fund's clearing broker and commodity broker, the administrator, the Distributor, and
other service providers to the Fund.
As described further below, the assets of the Fund will consist primarily of long
positions in certain exchange-traded futures contracts of various vintages on EUAs issued under
the EU ETS, together with high credit quality, short-term fixed income securities and cash which
will be held largely for collateral and margin purposes. The investment objective of the Fund is
to provide its investors (the holders of Shares) with investment results which correspond
generally, before payment of the Fund's expenses and liabilities, to the performance of the
Fund's basket of exchange-traded futures contracts for EUAs, each having an expiry (delivery)
date in December of a given year. An investment in Shares is designed to represent a costeffective alternative for investors not otherwise in a position to invest directly in the market for
EUAs or futures contracts involving EUAs to participate in that market through the trading of
Shares in the secondary market.
Environmental Capital Management, LLC will serve as the Fund's commodity
trading advisor ("CTA"). Environmental Capital Management, LLC is a member of the National
Futures Association ('WFA"). The CTA will have primary responsibility for establishing and
liquidating the Fund's positions in futures contracts for EUAs. The CTA and the Sponsor, as
CPO, must comply with various regulatory requirements under the CEA and the rules and
regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC") and the NFA and will
be subject to periodic inspections and audits by the CFTC and NFA.
The Fund's initial clearing futures broker and commodity broker will be Newedge
USA, LLC ("Newedge"), which is a futures commission merchant and broker-dealer registered
with the CFTC and the Commission, and a member of the NFA and the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA"). Newedge will also be a custodian of, and responsible
for, safekeeping the Fund's assets deposited with it as clearing broker, as margin or otherwise.
As clearing broker, Newedge will execute and clear the Fund's futures transactions. A variety of
other executing brokers selected by the Sponsor may execute futures transactions on behalf of
the Fund, and will give-up all such transactions to Newedge as clearing broker. An affiliate of
Newedge is expected to execute foreign exchange transactions with the Fund for hedging
2
By Order dated May 20, 2008, the Commission approved a new rule, NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.204,
filed by NYSE Arca with the Commission, pursuant to Section 19(b) of the Exchange Act, that encompasses the
listing and trading of Shares. The text of the new rule is available on NYSE Arca's web site at www.nyse.com and
on the Commission's web site at www.sec.gov. If the Sponsor, on behalf of the Fund, ultimately lists the Shares on
another Market, the Shares will be listed in accordance with such Market's listing standards that are or will become
effective pursuant to Rule 19b-4 or Section 19(b) of the Exchange Act. If the Shares also trade on a Market
pursuant to unlisted trading privileges, such trading will be conducted pursuant to self-regulatory organization rules
that have become effective pursuant to Rule 19b-4 or Section 19(b) of the Exchange Act.
BAKER BOTTS
Page 4 of 21
November 7,2008
purposes, in an effort to mitigate currency risk created due to the Shares being traded in U.S.
dollars and the Fund's futures contracts on EUAs being traded in euros.
Custody of assets not deposited as margin may be maintained with Brown
Brothers, which will act as the administrator, custodian and transfer agent of the Fund (the
"Administrator"). The Administrator will prepare and file certain regulatory filings on behalf of
the Fund and perform other administrative duties at the direction of the Sponsor. Brown
Brothers is one of the oldest private partnership banks in the United States, and is subject to
regulation by the New York State Banking Department.
ALPS Distributors, Inc. will act as the Fund's distributor, and will provide certain
administrative services to the Fund principally in connection with the creation and redemption of
Baskets of Shares as described herein. The Sponsor will pay the Distributor for the services it
provides to the Fund from the Sponsor's management fee.
Kellogg has provided the Sponsor with certain advisory services in connection
with the development of the Fund, and will provide promotional and advisory assistance to help
position the Fund with the investment community. The Sponsor will pay compensation to
Kellogg for the services it provides based on the Fund's NAV, which will be paid from the
Sponsor's management fee.
None of the Trustee, CTA, Newedge, the Administrator, the Distributor or
Kellogg is an affiliate of the Sponsor or the Fund.
The Fund's assets will consist only of futures contracts on EUAs, high quality,
short term fixed income securities, cash and cash equivalents. The Fund will engage in hedging
activities to mitigate currency risk, as the Shares will trade in U.S. dollars and the Fund's futures
contracts will trade in euros. The Fund's business is limited primarily to: (i) creating Baskets of
Shares (as described below) in exchange for cash, and using the cash so obtained to acquire
futures contracts on EUAs (using the allocation methodology described below) and high quality,
short-term fixed income securities for margin and collateral purposes; (ii) distributing cash to
investors upon the redemption of Baskets of Shares; (iii) paying the expenses of the Fund; (iv)
engaging in hedging activities to mitigate the Fund's exposure to currency risk; and (v)
liquidating futures contracts solely for "rollover" purposes at expiry, to meet redemption requests
for Baskets of Shares, to pay expenses or in connection with a termination and liquidation of the
Fund. The Sponsor expects that the price of a Share on NYSE Arca will fluctuate in response to
fluctuations in the price of the Fund's futures contracts on EUAs, and will also reflect the value
of the Fund's short term fixed income securities as well as the estimated accrued and unpaid
expenses of the Fund.
The Fund, as a commodity pool, will be subject to the CEA and to applicable
rules and regulations of the CFTC. The Fund is not, and is not required to be, registered as an
investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment
Company Act").
NYO 1:208039.3
BAKER BOlTS t.1.p
B.
Page 5 of 21
November 7,2008
The EU ETS and the International Carbon Market.
The EU ETS is a regional "cap and trade" emissions trading program started by
the European Union on January 1, 2005, as part of an international carbon market that has
developed as a direct consequence of the Kyoto ~ r o t o c o l ~The
. EU ETS is based on the idea that
creating a price for carbon through a market-based system provides the most cost-effective way
for EU member states to meet their Kyoto obligations.
The international carbon market is based primarily on the mechanisms specified
in the Kyoto Protocol, which consist of the following:
international emissions trading;
clean development mechanism;
joint implementation; and
regional/domestic trading.
Those developed countries that have committed to a C02e reduction target under
the Kyoto Protocol are issued assigned amount units ("AAUs") that can be used in international
emissions trading. To verify a country has met its reduction target, it must surrender AAUs
and/or other credits equivalent to its emissions of C02 during periodic commitment periods. The
initial commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol commenced on January 1,2008 and will end
on December 31, 2012 (the "First Kyoto ~ e r i o d " ) ~Counties
.
that have emissions of C02e in
excess of their reduction targets during the First Kyoto Period must either buy AAUs from other
countries with surplus AAUs, or purchase credits from projects developed under the Kyoto
Protocol's clean development mechanism ("CDM) or joint implementation ("JL").
CDM and JL are project-based mechanisms that reward emission reduction
projects with credits that can be used by countries to meet their reduction targets, as well as by
the private sector for compliance under regional/domestic trading schemes or for investment
purposes. For both CDM and JL, there are specific certification requirements that must be met to
ensure that the emissions reductions under those mechanisms are real.
In the case of regional/domestic trading, emission allowances are based on a
certain cap (cap and trade) or on proven improvements from a baseline. The EU ETS was the
first, and is currently the largest, operational cap and trade scheme for C02e allowances under
the Kyoto Protocol. Under the EU ETS, each member state has a national allocation policy
3
The Kyoto Protocol, whch was adopted in 1997 pursuant to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, seeks to achieve the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere at a
level that would prevent adverse effects on the world's climate system resulting from human activities. Developed
countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have committed to adopt national policies and measures intended to
return greenhouse gases generally to their 1990 levels.
4
The Kyoto Protocol does not extend beyond 2012. Delegates to the United Nations Climate Change
Conference held in December 2007, in Bali, Indonesia agreed to a framework for a new negotiating process to be
concluded by 2009 intended to ultimately lead to a post-2012 international agreement on climate change.
BAKER BOrrS 1.L.P
Page 6 of 21
November 7,2008
("NAP"), which specifies caps on certain greenhouse gas emissions for specified greenhouse gas
emitting facilities within its borders. Each emitting facility receives a designated amount of
EUAs for an annual period, and must surrender EUAs equivalent to its total emissions of C02e
during that period. If a facility's emissions of C02e fall below its cap during an annual period, it
may sell all or some of its unused allowances directly to other EU emission facilities, bank
allowances for use in a future annual period andlor sell allowances to a person or institution
holding a trading account established with a national registry. Conversely, if a facility emits a
greater amount of C02e than its allowance allocation for an annual compliance period, it can
purchase additional allowances for surrender at the end of that period. All transfers and
surrenders of EUAs take place on a registry system comprised of electronic national registries
established by each of the 27 EU member states, which are interconnected through a Community
Independent Transaction Log which tracks and verifies transactions. Credits generated under
CDM and JL projects may be used for compliance purposes under the EU ETS, subject to certain
limitations.
Phase 1 of the EU ETS, which commenced on January 1, 2005 and ended on
December 3 1, 2007, was a trial run or "warm up" for emissions trading in advance of the First
Kyoto Period. Phase I1 of the EU ETS coincides with the five year (2008-2012) First Kyoto
Period. There is no term limitation on the EU ETS, and the European Commission has released
its proposals 'for a 5-year Phase I11 trading period commencing in 2013. The European
Parliament and the European Council (the member states) must approve the Phase I11 trading
period before it can become effective. The Fund's operations will cease on December 3 1, 2012
(the last day of the Phase I1 trading period) if the requisite approvals for a Phase I11 trading
period are not obtained by September 30,2012.
According to Point Carbon, a recognized provider of news and analyses regarding
the carbon markets, the total transacted volume in the regulated international carbon markets in
2007 was an estimated 2.7 billion tons of C02e, with a financial value of approximately $60
billion (€40 billion). Of that amount, the EU ETS accounted for approximately 62% of the
volume (an estimated 1.6 billion tons of C02e) and 70% of the financial value (approximately
$42 billion (€28 billion)). Approximately 947 million tons of C02e with a financial value of
approximately $18 billion (€12 billion) was attributable to CDM in 2007. J1 was responsible for
an estimated 38 million tons of COze with a financial value of $489 million (€326 million)
during the same period.
Transactions under the EU ETS take place through brokers (OTC), exchanges and
bilateral trades between emitting facilities. According to Point Carbon, transactions through
brokers and on exchanges aggregated 1,443 million tons of C02e in 2007, while an additional
(estimated) 207 million tons of C02e was traded in the bilateral market. An estimated 443
million tons (approximately 27% of the volume transacted on the EU ETS in 2007) was traded in
the exchange markets, with 87% of the volume being carried on the London-based European
Climate Exchange. During Phase I, 12,000 emitting facilities drawn from the energy, pulp and
paper, minerals and metals sectors were covered by the EU ETS, and were limited only in their
emissions of C02, the principal greenhouse gas. These facilities were responsible for
approximately 40% of Europe's emissions of C02 during Phase I. All six greenhouse gases, not
only C02,are included in Phase 11, and emitting facilities from additional industrial sectors have
also been added. The financial value of trading during Phase I was adversely impacted due to
BAKER BOlTS l.l.p
Page 7 of 21
November 7,2008
the allocation of an excessive number of EUAs, which has been attributed to member states'
reliance on carbon emissions projections in developing their NAPs. The allocation of EUAs has
been tightened during Phase 11, as the NAPs have been based on verified emissions data. Due to
the tightened supply of EUAs in combination with a larger pool of emitting facilities and
greenhouse gases that are subject to the EU ETS, it is anticipated that the volume and financial
value of trading during Phase I1 will be significantly higher as compared to that seen during
Phase I.
The EUA price is largely a function of supply and demand, with the supply
determined by the amount of EUAs (allocated under NAPs) and credits (awarded under CDM
and JL project mechanisms) available to participants in the EU ETS system. Demand is
influenced by a number of factors, including weather, fuel prices and the political process.
Temperatures determine power demand for heat or air conditioning, and precipitation determines
the output capacity of hydropower production (which generally emits less C02than coal and gas
power plants). The relative differential between the price of coal (which emits more C02) and
gas will be largely determinate of which of those fuels will be used for power production.
Higher C02 emissions result in greater demand, and therefore higher prices, for EUAs. The
amount of EUAs allocated under NAPs is subject to the political process, and policy signals on
the amount of EUAs to be allocated for an annual period (short or long industry demand) heavily
influence the short-term pricing of EUAs.
The pricing of CDM and JL credits, which occurs off-exchange, also influences
EUA prices (and vice-versa), as those credits may be used for EU ETS compliance purposes,
subject to certain limitations.
C.
The Fund's Investment Stratenv
The assets of the Fund will consist of long positions in EUA futures contracts, and
high credit quality, short-term fixed income securities, cash and cash equivalents held for margin
and collateral purposes. Initially, the Fund will hold long positions in ECX Carbon Financial
Instrument futures contracts ("ECX CFIs"). The Fund will only invest in EUA futures contracts,
including ECX CFIs, with an expiry (delivery date) in December of a given year. ECX CFIs are
listed and admitted to trading on ICE Futures Europe, a London-based electronic trading
platform owned by the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ("ICE ~utures")~.The ICE Futures
trading platform is one of the largest energy trading platforms in the world. ECX CFIs are
standardized contractual instruments for futures on deliverable EUAs issued under the EU ETS.
Each ECX CFI provides for delivery of 1,000 EUAs on a specified date at a specified price
(denominated in euros). There are currently seven ECX CFI contracts for December delivery
(in each of 2008 through 2014) and 12 additional ECX CFI contracts for delivery in March, June
and September in each of 2009 through 2012. As noted above, the Fund will only hold long
positions in ECX CFIs for December delivery ("December ECX CFIs"). Additional information
regarding ECX CFIs can be found in the Fund's prospectus and on the ICE Futures website at
www.theice.com.
5
ICE Futures Europe is a Recognized Investment Exchange in the United Kingdom, supervised by the
Financial Services Authority under the terms of the Financial Services and Markets Act (2000). It is not subject to
regulation by the CFTC, NFA or any domestic exchange.
BAKER BOlTS L.l.p
Page 8 of 21
November 7,2008
The Fund will purchase December ECX CFIs with proceeds from the creation of
Baskets by applying the following allocation methodology6. As a general matter, the Fund will
hold an unleveraged long position in December ECX CFIs expiring in the then-current year and
in each of the next subsequent four consecutive years. However, if on the applicable date of
determination December ECX CFIs for five consecutive years are not available for trading
because the EU ETS has not been extended beyond 2012 and such contracts are not otherwise
listed for trading, the allocation methodology will be applied using only the then-current year
and each of the four years thereafter for which December ECX CFIs are listed for trading.
The allocations will be made equally amongst the five (or, if applicable, fewer)
December ECX CFIs if each contract qualifies as "actively traded." A contract is "actively
traded," as of the date of determination, if either (i) the "60-day weighted average" daily volume
of that contract is more than $100,000,000; or (ii) the amount to be allocated by the Fund to that
contract would not exceed 5% of the contract's "60-day weighted average" daily volume. For
this purpose, the "60-day weighted average" of a contract is equal to the average, over the prior
sixty days, of the number of such contracts traded, at their last closing prices, converted to U.S.
dollars. If any of the five (or, if applicable, fewer) December ECX CFIs is not "actively traded"
as measured by the above criteria, then the allocation shall not be made equally but rather shall
be made amongst the five (or, if applicable, fewer) ECX CFIs pro rata in accordance with their
respective 60-day weighted averages. As of September 1,2008, the ECX CFI Futures Contracts
expiring in December 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 (but not 2010) were "actively traded," as
measured by the above criteria. Hence, had the Fund created a Basket on September 1,2008, the
proceeds would have been allocated amongst the December ECX CFIs expiring in 2008 through
2012, pro rata in accordance their respective 60-day weighted averages.
The Sponsor will cause the Fund's existing long positions to be closed when
appropriate before expiration and reinvest the proceeds from the close into December ECX CFIs
of the next five subsequent years, by applying the same allocation methodology described above.
If on the date of reinvestment of such proceeds there are fewer than five available contracts, then
the proceeds will be so allocated amongst the remaining available futures contracts.
The Fund will not be actively managed in that it will not engage in activities
designed to obtain a profit from, or to ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the value of its
portfolio of EUA futures contracts. Only a portion of the Fund's assets will be invested to
establish the Fund's futures positions, as the establishment of a position in ECX CFIs (in
common with other futures positions) only requires the deposit of the applicable initial margin.
The Fund will deposit variation margin as the value of the underlying EUAs fluctuates over time
to maintain such futures positions. Margin collateral in the form of cash and high credit quality
short-term fixed income securities will be deposited with Newedge, as the Fund's clearing
broker. The remaining exposure of the Fund to fluctuations in the value of the underlying EUAs
will be collateralized by the deposit of cash and high credit quality, short-term fixed income debt
6
Futures contracts will be liquidated applying an analogous allocation methodology in connection with the
redemption of Baskets.
NY01:208039.3
BAKER BOrrS
Page 9 of 21
November 7,2008
securities in segregated accounts with the ~dministrator~.Accordingly, the Fund will not be
leveraged.
D.
Rights of Holders of Shares
Because of the nature of the Fund, beneficial owners of the Shares will have
limited rights as compared to holders of traditional equity securities. For example, as interests in
a Delaware statutory trust, the Shares do not have certain statutory rights normally associated
with the ownership of shares of a corporation, such as the right to bring "oppression" or
"derivative" actions. Beneficial owners will have no voting rights, except in limited
circumstances. The owners of 70% of the outstanding Shares have the power to compel
dissolution of the Fund. Any change to the Fund's trust agreement which is adverse, in any
material respect, to holders of Shares may not be made without the approval of the owners of a
majority of the outstanding Shares. The Trustee of the Fund has delegated to the Sponsor the
duty and authority to manage the Fund. The Sponsor has discretionary authority over all cash
distributions made by the Fund, and does not presently intend to make any distributions other
than those required in connection with redemptions of Baskets.
Individual certificates will not be issued for the Shares. Instead, one or more
global certificates will be deposited with The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") and registered
in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC, and will evidence all of the Shares outstanding
at any time. The Shares will be transferable only through DTC's book-entry system. Beneficial
ownership of the Shares will be shown on the records of DTC, banks, brokers, dealers, trust
companies and others that are DTC Participants and indirect participants who maintain a
custodial relationship with a DTC Participant. The Sponsor will furnish to the DTC Participants
for distribution to beneficial owners of the Shares the annual reports, statements, notices, and
other information applicable to the Fund and required by the Commission under rules and
regulations (including pursuant to the Exchange Act). The Sponsor will also provide holders of
Shares with reports as required by the CFTC and the NFA, including annual certified financial
statements.
E.
The Offering
The Fund filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with respect to the Shares
(Commission File No. 333-145448) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
("Securities Act"), on August 14, 2007, and two subsequent pre-effective amendments
(collectively, the "Registration Statement"). The Fund will also file a Form 8-A under Section
12(b) of the Exchange Act in connection with listing the Shares on NYSE Arca around the time
the Registration Statement, as further amended, is declared effective under the Securities Act.
That listing, and the trading of Shares, on the NYSE Arca will be subject to the NYSE's listing
7
The Fund will seek to hedge the currency risk of adverse movements of the Eurol U.S. dollar exchange rate
associated with its portfolio of EUA futures contracts and futed income securities, as the Fund's futures contracts
will trade in euros while the Shares will trade on NYSE Arca in dollars.) The value of the Fund's portfolio of fixed
income securities held for margin and collateral purposes, and any gain or loss incurred as a result of its hedging
activities, are not expected to be correlated with any changes in the value of the Fund's portfolio of futures contracts.
BAKER BOrrS
Page 10 of 21
November 7,2008
requirements and rules8. Investors purchasing Shares will receive the Fund's prospectus in
conformity with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules thereunder. Only
Authorized Participants (discussed below) will be able to purchase or redeem Shares in
transactions with the Fund.
F.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only in one or more Baskets for cash. A
Basket is a block of 100,000 Shares. Baskets may only be created or redeemed by Authorized
Participants, who are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem Baskets in
transactions with the Fund. Authorized Participants may sell the Shares included in the Baskets
they purchase fiom the Fund to other investors. Except when aggregated in Baskets by an
Authorized Participant, the Shares are not redeemable. No Authorized Participant has any
obligation to the Sponsor or to the Fund to purchase any Baskets, nor does any Authorized
Participant have any obligation to seek the redemption of one or more Baskets of Shares.
For an entity to be an "Authorized Participant," it must be (1) registered as a
broker-dealer under the Exchange Act and regulated by FINRA, or else be exempt from being
(or otherwise not required to be) so registered or regulated, and be qualified to act as a broker or
dealer in the states or other jurisdictions where the nature of its business so requires, and (2) a
participant in DTC. To become an Authorized Participant, an entity must enter into an
Authorized Participant Agreement with the Sponsor, the Fund and the Distributor. The
Authorized Participant Agreement sets forth the procedures for the creation and redemption of
Baskets and for the payment of cash required for such creations and redemptions. In
compensation for services in processing the creation and redemption of Baskets, an Authorized
Participant is required to pay to the Fund an irrevocable transaction fee of $1,000 per Basket to
create or redeem Baskets.
Authorized Participants may act for their own accounts or as agents for broker
dealers, custodians and other securities market participants that wish to create or redeem Baskets.
An order for one or more Baskets may be placed by an Authorized Participant on behalf of
multiple clients. Authorized Participants are cautioned in the Authorized Participant Agreement
that some of their activities will result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a
manner which would render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectusdelivery and liability provisions of the Securities ~ c t . ~
The Fund intends to offer its Shares continuously on each business day in Baskets
of 100,000 Shares. To the extent the creation and issuance of Baskets exceed the number of
Shares registered by the Fund pursuant to the Registration Statement, additional Shares will be
registered under the Securities Act. The Fund will commence operations upon receipt of an
8
As noted in footnote 2, the Commission approved NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.204 on May 20, 2008, with
respect to the trading of the Shares.
9
While certain exemptions from prospectus delivery requirements may be available pursuant to Sections
4(3) and 4(4) of the Securities Act, and Rule 174 thereunder, dealers that are not "underwriters" but are participating
in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part
of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take
advantage of the Section 4(3) exemption.
BAKER BOTTS u.p
Page 11 of 21
November 7,2008
initial order for one or more Baskets, at a price of $25 per Share (i.e., $2.5 million per Basket).
The Fund will commence upon acceptance of an order fiom an Authorized Participant for one or
more Basket(s). Thereafter, Baskets will be offered to Authorized Participants at the cost of
establishing positions in December ECX CFIs underlying a Basket (excluding futures
commissions), plus an amount determined by the Administrator to be the excess of the allocable
portion of uninvested cash and accrued but unearned interest attributable to that Basket, over the
accrued but unpaid expenses attributable to that Basket.
Because the Sponsor is responsible for payment of the organizational and offering
expenses of the Fund, 100% of the settlement price paid to the Fund in connection with the
creation of each Basket will be available for the purchase of December ECX CFIs and related
activities of the Fund. The Shares will first be issued and begin to trade on the NYSE Arca
following the sale of the initial creation Basket(s). The prices at which the Shares trade are
expected to generally vary during the trading day, but, as described below, the price of Shares
trading on the NYSE Arca is expected to correspond to the NAV of the Shares.
For these purposes, NAV means the total assets less the total liabilities of the
Fund, each determined on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles in the United
States, consistently applied under the accrual method of accounting. NAV includes any
unrealized profit or loss on open b r e s contracts, and any other credit or debit accruing to the
Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund. The market value of all open December ECX CFIs
will be calculated as their current market value at the date of determination, which will be based
upon the settlement price for each particular futures contract traded on ICE Futures on that date;
provided, that if a futures contract traded on ICE Futures could not be liquidated on such day, the
settlement price on the most recent day on which the position could have been liquidated will be
the basis for determining the market value of such position for such day. The market value of all
open futures contracts traded on any exchange other than ICE Futures Europe will be based upon
the settlement price for that particular futures contract traded on the applicable exchange on the
date with respect to which NAV is being determined; subject to the same caveat regarding the
inability to liquidate a futures contract. The Sponsor may in its discretion value any asset of the
Fund pursuant to such other principles as the Sponsor deems fair and equitable so long as such
principles are consistent with normal industry standards1'. NAV per Share is the NAV of the
Fund divided by the number of outstanding Shares.
Authorized Participants who purchase Baskets will receive no fees, commissions
or other form of compensation or inducement of any kind from the Sponsor, the Fund or any of
their affiliates, and no such person has any obligation or responsibility to the Sponsor or the
Fund to effect any sale or resale of Shares to public retail investors.
10
There is, however, a risk that the resulting calculation of the NAV of the Fund could be under or
overstated, perhaps to a significant degree. The Sponsor and the Fund believe that the public availability on each
trading day of real time information with respect to the intra-day indicative value of the Shares and data with respect
to the Fund's portfolio of futures contacts and short-term fixed income securities, together with the arbitrage
opportunities provided by the creation and redemption of Baskets of Shares, should ensure that any temporary
anomaly in the end-of-day NAV will be promptly resolved.
NYO 1:208039.3
BAKER BOrrS
G.
Page 12 of 21
November 7,2008
Creation and Redemption Procedures
During the continuous offering period, on any business day an Authorized
Participant may place an order with the Distributor to create one or more Baskets for cash. For
purposes of processing both purchase and redemption orders, a "business day" means any day
other than a day when NYSE Arca or ICE Futures (or any other exchange on which the Fund
may then conduct its trading activities) are required or permitted to be closed. Purchase orders
must be placed with the Distributor between 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on a business
day (a "purchase order date"). Orders received after 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, will be treated as a
next day order. Purchase orders are irrevocable. Prior to the delivery of any Baskets so ordered,
an Authorized Participant's DTC account will be charged a non-refundable $1,000 per Basket
transaction fee for the purchase order.
The Fund will use the proceeds from the creation of Baskets to purchase
December ECX CFIs, as described in Part l.C above. Because the Fund will not know on the
purchase order date the actual cost it will incur to purchase such futures contracts, an Authorized
Participant will pay to the Fund an amount per Basket (the "initial payment amount") equal to
105% of the end-of-day NAV per Basket as of the business day next preceding the purchase
order date. On the business day next following the purchase order date, the Fund will purchase
that number of whole December ECX CFIs of the appropriate vintages (rounded to the nearest
whole number of contracts) as can be purchased with an amount approximating 100% of such
end-of-day NAV per Basket. The purchase price for those contracts (excluding commission
costs), plus an amount determined by the Administrator to be the excess of the allocable portion
of the Fund's uninvested cash and accrued but unearned interest attributable to that Basket over
accrued but unpaid expenses attributable to that Basket, will be the final settlement price for the
Basket. The Authorized Participant will be notified of the final settlement price by 5:30 p.m.,
New York time, on the business day next following the purchase order date for each Basket, and
will be issued the Shares attributable to that Basket as of the third business day following the
purchase order date (the "settlement date"). Any underpayment or overpayment, based on the
difference between the initial payment amount and the final settlement price will be paid or
refunded, as applicable, on the settlement date.
The procedures by which an Authorized Participant can redeem one or more
Baskets mirror the procedures for the creation of Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed
between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on a business day. The day on which the
Distributor receives a valid redemption order is the "redemption order date." Redemption orders
are irrevocable. The redemption procedures allow Authorized Participants to redeem Shares
only in Baskets. Individual Shares are not redeemable. Shareholders other than Authorized
Participants may only redeem Shares in numbers equal to at least one Basket (or an integral
multiple) and only through an Authorized Participant.
By placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the
Baskets to be redeemed through DTC's book-entry system to the Fund not later than noon,
Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the redemption order date. By placing
a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds from the Fund, an
Authorized Participant's DTC account will be charged a $1,000 per Basket non-refundable
transaction fee due for the redemption order. Such amount will be for the account of the Fund.
NYO 1 :208039.3
BAKER BOTTS L.1.P
Page 13 of 21
November 7,2008
On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the
Distributor to redeem one or more Baskets for an amount equal to the proceeds from the
liquidation of the futures positions underlying the Basket, plus an amount determined by the
Administrator to be the excess of the allocable portion of uninvested cash and accrued but
unearned interest attributable to that Basket, over accrued but unpaid expenses attributable to that
Basket. Because on the redemption order date the Fund will not know the actual amount of
proceeds it will receive from the liquidation of the futures contracts on EUAs, the Fund will pay
to the Authorized Participant an amount per Basket (the "initial redemption payment amount")
equal to 95% of the end-of-day NAV per Basket as of the business day next preceding the
redemption order date. The Fund will only pay the initial redemption amount if, by noon, New
York time, on the business day next following the redemption order date, the Fund's DTC
account has been credited with the Baskets to be redeemed. On the business day next following
the redemption order date, the Fund will liquidate that number of whole December ECX CFIs of
the appropriate vintage (rounded to the nearest whole number of contracts) as approximate 100%
of the end-of-day NAV per Basket as of the business day next preceding the redemption order
date. The proceeds from the liquidation of those contracts, plus an amount determined by the
Administrator to be the excess of the allocable portion of the Fund's uninvested cash and accrued
but unearned interest attributable to that Basket, over accrued but unpaid expenses attributable to
that Basket, will be the final settlement price for the Basket. The Authorized Participant will be
notified of the final settlement price by 5:30 p.m., New York time, on the business day next
following the redemption order date for each Basket. Any underpayment or overpayment based
on the difference between the initial redemption payment amount and the final settlement price
applicable to a Basket will be paid or refunded, as applicable, on the third business day after the
applicable redemption order date.
For its services in assisting the Sponsor and the Fund in connection with creation
and redemption transactions, the Distributor will be paid approximately $50,000 per annum, plus
an asset-based fee (and authorized disbursements) for assistance with creation and redemption
records, consultation on marketing and related FINRA compliance, and consultation with the
Sponsor in connection with marketing and sales strategies. However, the Distributor has agreed
to waive this fee for the first two years of the Fund's operation. The Sponsor may pay the
Distributor additional compensation in consideration of the performance by the Distributor of
additional marketing, distribution and ongoing support services, which may include, among other
services, the development of a marketing plan and the utilization of the Distributor's resources,
which include a network of internal and external wholesalers. The fees and disbursements of the
Distributor are paid by the Sponsor out of its management fee.
In addition, Kellogg has been retained to assist the Sponsor in the development of
the Fund. Kellogg's services include publicizing the Fund to the trading and investment
community, locating the initial Authorized Participant for the Fund, and assisting in the launch of
the Fund and related promotional activities. For its services, Kellogg will be paid an asset-based
fee by the Sponsor from its management fee.
H.
Exchange Listing and Trading
A listing application has been filed with NYSE Arca, and the Shares are expected
to trade on NYSE Arca in secondary transactions in the same manner as other equity securities.
BAKER BOlTS
Page 14 of 21
November 7,2008
NYSE Arca is a fully electronic trading platform where orders are matched, in which issuers
work with a Lead Market Maker ("LMM"). The Fund's LMM will be responsible for
maintaining a market for the Shares, and for providing a fairly tight current bidloffer market in
competition with other market centers where the Shares may trade. Transactions involving the
sale of Shares in the secondary market - which will be between purchasers and sellers and will
not involve the Fund - will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and charges.
The Fund's LMM will not be an affiliate of either the Fund or the Sponsor.
As indicated above, the trading price of the Shares is expected to fluctuate
primarily in relation to fluctuations in the value of the Fund's portfolio of futures contracts. In
addition, the trading price of the Shares is expected to correspond with the NAV of the Shares;
while those values may not be identical, they are expected to approximate each other. The
Sponsor anticipates that the trading price of the Shares will trade in line with the NAV of the
Shares due to the potential arbitrage opportunities resulting from the Fund's creation and
redemption mechanics1'. It is expected Baskets will be purchased and created when there is
sufficient demand for Shares that the market price per Share is at a premium to the NAV per
Share. Authorized Participants would then execute trades in the secondary market in such
Shares at prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, recent trading prices of the
Shares on NYSE Arca and the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, with the sales
price expected to fall between the NAV and the trading price of the Shares at the time of sale.
Similarly, it is expected that Baskets will be redeemed by Authorized Participants when the
market price per Share is at a discount to the NAV per Share.
Retail investors seeking to purchase or sell Shares on any day may do so in
secondary transactions effected on NYSE Arca at the market price per Share. Investors will be
able to use the indicative intra-day NAV per Share of the Fund (as described below) as well as
the trading price on NYSE Arca to determine the advisability of purchasing or selling Shares on
the secondary market at any given time.
Retail investors who are clients or customers of an Authorized Participant may
also acquire Shares from or through an Authorized Participant out of such Authorized
Participant's inventory of Shares or as part of an order for a creation Basket. The identities of
the Authorized Participants will be available from the Administrator.
I.
Publication of Relevant Pricing Information
An application has been filed to list the Shares on NYSE Arca under the symbol
"ASO." After the commencement of trading, the current trading price per Share will be
published continuously as trades occur throughout each NYSE Arca trading day on the
consolidated tape and on a variety of feeds providing market data, including Reuters and
Bloomberg. The following information will also be made publicly available on the Fund's
website: www.xsharesadvisors.com/airshares.
11
However, and as discussed in the Fund's prospectus, because the ECX CFIs will trade in Euros while the
Shares will trade in U.S. dollars, changes in the Euroldollar exchange rate may adversely affect the correlation
between the trading price and NAV of the Shares, notwithstanding the Fund's efforts to negate those changes
through hedging activities.
NYO 1:208039.3
BAKER BO1TS LLp
Page 15 of 21
November 7,2008
the prior trading day's closing sale price per Share;
the prior trading day's NAV per Share;
trading volume in the Shares;
the mid-point of the bid-ask for the Shares (the "Bid-Ask Price');
the premium or discount represented by the Bid-Ask Price against the
NAV per Share;
data in chart form displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and
premiums of the Bid-Ask Price against the NAV, within specified ranges
during each of the most recent four quarters (or, if less, from the start of
trading);
the composition of the Fund's portfolio of futures contracts, short-term
fixed income securities and cash; and
the trading value of each vintage futures contract in the Fund's portfolio.
In addition, the intra-day indicative value per Share of the Fund will be
disseminated each 15 seconds throughout the NYSE Arca trading day to reflect the continuous
price changes of the Fund's futures positions.
The NYSE Arca will also make available on its website daily trading volume and
closing prices. In addition, the NYSE Arca website at www.nyse.com will provide access to the
Fund's Prospectus as well as a hyperlink to the Fund's website. Prior day settlement prices for
the futures contracts in the Fund's portfolio as well as delayed trading information for current
and past trading sessions are available on the European Climate Exchange's website at
www.ecxeurope.com, as well as through market data vendors such as Bloomberg. In addition,
real time price data on the futures contracts in the Fund's portfolio are available on a subscription
basis from Bloomberg.
All pricing information will be quoted in U.S. dollars, other than current trading
data for December ECX CFIs. Those contracts trade in Euros and hence pricing information will
be provided in Euros.
Thus, information about the Fund, the Shares and the value of the underlying
assets of the Fund will be published throughout the trading day on websites maintained by,
among others, the Sponsor, NYSE Arca, Bloomberg andlor the European Climate Exchange.
A description of available pricing information is also provided in the Prospectus.
As a result of the potential for arbitrage inherent in the structure of the Fund, the
Sponsor and the Fund believe that the Shares will not trade at a material discount or premium to
the value of the underlying net assets held by the Fund. The arbitrage process, which in general
provides investors the opportunity to profit from differences in prices of assets, increases the
BAKER BOlTS t.L.P
Page 16 of 21
November 7,2008
efficiency of the markets, serves to prevent potentially manipulative efforts and can be expected
to operate efficiently in the case of the Shares. If the trading price of the Shares deviates enough
from the NAV of the Shares to create a material discount or premium, an arbitrage opportunity is
created. If the Shares trade relatively inexpensively compared to their NAVYan Authorized
Participant, either on its own behalf or acting as agent for investors, arbitrageurs or traders, may
buy Shares, aggregate them into one or more Baskets, and deliver the Baskets to the Fund for
redemption at a profit. If the Shares are expensive compared to the assets that underlie them, an
Authorized Participant may sell the Shares short, purchase the corresponding number of Baskets
through the creation process, and deliver the Shares so purchased to close out the short position.
In both instances the arbitrageur should serve to correct price discrepancies between the trading
price of the Shares and their NAV. The availability of the information about the prior day's
NAV of the Shares, the indicative intra-day values of the Shares, the intra-day values of the
Fund's futures contracts and other information as described above should serve to provide a
transparent and efficient market for the Shares.
2.
Request for Relief.
The Sponsor and the Fund, on behalf of themselves and on behalf of the NYSE
(and any other Market on which the Shares may subsequently trade), the Trustee, Newedge, the
Administrator, the Distributor, Kellogg, the Authorized Participants and all other persons or
entities engaging in transactions in Shares, requests that the Staff or the Commission, as
appropriate, grant exemptions from, or interpretive or no-action advice or relief regarding, Rules
101 and 102 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act in connection with secondary market
transactions in the Shares and the creation and redemption of Baskets, as described below.
Subject to certain enumerated exceptions, Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M
prohibit a "distribution participant," and the issuer or a selling security holder, respectively, in
connection with a distribution of securities, from bidding for or purchasing, or fiom attempting
to induce any person to bid for or purchase, a "covered security" during the applicable restricted
period. "Distribution participant" is defined in Rule 100(b) to include an underwriter or
prospective underwriter in a particular distribution of securities, or any broker, dealer or other
person that has agreed to participate or is participating in such a distributionI2.
The Sponsor and the Fund request that the Staff or the Commission grant an
exemption or no-action relief from Rule 101, as discussed below, to permit persons that may be
deemed to be participating in a distribution of Shares (including the Authorized Participants) to
bid for or purchase or redeem such Shares, or engage in secondary market transactions in such
Shares, during the applicable restricted period. The Sponsor and the Fund also request that the
Staff or the Commission grant an exemption or no-action relief fiom Rule 101 to permit the
Distributor to publish certain market-related information on the Fund's website during the
12
Rule 100(b) of Regulation M defines "distribution" as "an offering of securities, whether or not subject to
registration under the Securities Act, that is distinguished from ordinary trading transactions by the magnitude of the
offering and the presence of special selling effort and selling methods." We acknowledge that a broker-dealer acting
as an Authorized Participant could be deemed under certain circumstances to be an "underwriter" or "distribution
participant," as those terms are defined in Rule 100(b), even though it is not part of a syndicate or selling group and
receives no fees, commissions or other remuneration from the Sponsor, the Fund or the Distributor for its activities
as an Authorized Participant.
BAKER BOTTS L1.P
Page 17 of 21
November 7,2008
applicable restricted period13. Similarly, the Sponsor and the Fund request that the Staff or the
Commission grant an exemption or no-action relief from Rule 102, as discussed below, to permit
the Sponsor, selling security holders or any affiliated persons, and the Fund and its affiliated
purchasers, to bid for or purchase or, indirectly through an Authorized Participant, redeem
Shares during the applicable restricted period. The purpose of Rules 101 and 102 is to prevent
persons from conditioning the market to facilitate a distribution, thereby manipulating the price
of an offered security. Application of Rules 101 and 102 to the Shares under the circumstances
described herein would not further the anti-manipulativepurposes underlying the Rules.
The relief requested herein with respect to Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M is
the same as that granted in the Rydex Letter on a class-wide basis to CBIVs. In the Rydex
Letter, the Staff observed that the creation, redemption and secondary market transactions
involving shares of CBIVs do not appear to result in the abuses that Rules 101 and 102 were
designed to prevent, where the CBIVs share the following characteristics:
The CBIV has shares that are listed and trade on a national securities
exchange or national securities association that has obtained approval of a
rule change from the Commission pursuant to Rule 19b-4, or are listed
pursuant to listing standards approved pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the
Exchange Act regarding the listing and trading of the shares of the CBIV;
The CBIV is not an investment company registered under the Investment
Company Act and is not required to register under that Act;
The CBIV continuously issues and redeems shares in aggregations of at
least 50,000 shares (having a net asset value of at least $1 million) in
exchange for:
specified amounts of a physical commodity (and a specified
(i)
amount of cash deposit, if required) or a particular foreign-based
currency, with the objective of reflecting the performance of a
designated spot price of the physical commodity, currency, or
futures contracts on the physical commodity;
(ii)
specified amounts of a physical commodity andlor
commodity futures contracts and/or cash and/or U.S. Treasury
securities or other high credit quality short-term fixed-income or
similar securities, with the objective of tracking the performance
of a specified commodity index; or
(iii) specified amounts of a physical commodity andlor
commodities futures contracts and/or cash and/or U.S. Treasury
securities or other high credit quality short-term fixed-income or
13
Certain market-related information prepared by the Distributor will be posted on the website for the Fund
during the applicable restricted period, including information about the international carbon markets, the fktures
contracts for EUAs included in the Fund's portfolio, information regarding the Shares, the NAV of the Fund and the
then-current market prices of the Shares.
BAKER BOiTS 1.w
Page 18 of 21
November 7,2008
similar securities, with the objective of reflecting the price of
designated futures contracts on a physical commodity;
intra-day prices of the CBIV's shares and underlying benchmarks, and an
indicative value of the CBIV's shares, are publicly disseminated
throughout the trading day; and
the market value of the CBIV's shares rises or falls based primarily on
changes in the value of the CBIV's holdings, which generally correlate
with increases and decreases in the value of a benchmark physical
commodity or particular currency spot price, commodity index or
commodity futures contracts.
The Fund shares all of the foregoing characteristics in that:
the Shares of the Fund are expected to be listed and traded on the NYSE
Arca, which filed a rule change for such purpose with the Commission
pursuant to Section 19(b) of the Exchange Act, and which rule change was
approved by the Commission on May 20,2008;
the Fund is not an investment company, nor is it required to register as
one, under the Investment Company Act;
the Fund will continuously issue and redeem Shares in aggregations of
more than 50,000 Shares (and with a net asset value of at least $1 million)
in exchange for cash, with the objective of reflecting the price of a
portfolio of designated futures contracts on EUAs;
the intra-day trading prices of the Shares and the intra-day indicative value
per Share will be disseminated throughout the trading day; and
the market value of the Shares are expected to rise and fall based primarily
on changes in the value of the Fund's holdings, which is expected to
correlate generally to increases and decreases in the value of December
ECX CFIs.
Although the Fund and the CBIVs have different investment objectives and, as a
result, may not necessarily be purchased by the same investors, they are similarly structured with
the view to attracting the same types of investors, i.e., large institutions in respect of the
aggregations of shares purchasable from and redeemable through the investment vehicle, and
both retail and institutional investors, in respect of the exchange-traded individual shares.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Fund is that its creation and redemption of
Baskets has the objective of reflecting the price of designated futures contracts on an intangible
commodity -- EUAs. We believe this to be a distinction without a difference. Beyond the fact
that the Fund's futures contracts are based on EUAs rather than physical commodities, and based
BAKER BOTTS LLP
Page 19 of 21
November 7,2008
on the common characteristics shared by the Fund and the CBIVs identified above, there is little
to distinguish the Fund from the CBIVs granted class relief in the Rydex Letter. Accordingly,
we believe that the Fund is similarly entitled to the regulatory relief that has been granted those
entities.
The Rydex Letter granted no-action relief from Rule 101(a) to permit persons that
may be deemed to be participating in a distribution of the shares in that matter (including the
Authorized Participants) to bid for or purchase, redeem or otherwise engage in other secondary
market transactions in the Shares during the applicable restricted period. The letter also granted
relief to permit the distributor to publish research during the applicable restricted period.'4 In
addition, the letter granted relief from Rule 102 to permit the Sponsor, selling security holders
and their affiliated persons, and the CBrVs and their affiliated persons to redeem Shares during
the applicable restricted period.
In granting such relief, the Staff noted in the Rydex Letter that neither the creation
nor the redemption of CBIV shares nor purchases or sales of CBIV shares in the secondary
market significantly impact their net asset value and, further, that such transactions do not have a
significant impact on the market value of CBIV shares. The Sponsor informs us that it expects
the same to be true of the creation and redemption of Baskets of Shares, and purchases and sales
of Shares in the secondary market.
Like futures contracts on physical assets, the Fund's futures contracts on EUAs
will be traded on organized exchanges (initially, the ICE Futures Europe trading platform owned
by Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.) and have standardized terms that are determined by the
exchange, rather than by market participants. Standardized terms of the ECX CFIs include,
among others, the quantity of EUAs traded (in lots of 1,000 EUAs), tick size (€ 10 per lot),
minimum price fluctuation (€ 0.01), expiry dates, and settlement by offset or physical delivery.
All contracts are made through a central counterparty, are traded during fixed trading hours, and
have initial and variation margin requirements. As with other futures contracts, the
standardization of the futures contracts traded by the Fund enhances liquidity by making it
possible for large numbers of market participants to trade the same instrument. Although it is
contemplated that the Fund's futures contracts will be "rolled" or liquidated via offset shortly
before expiration, the contracts include a physical delivery provision to ensure convergence
between the futures price and the cash market price. As discussed above, the international
carbon market is large and liquid, and the exchange traded portion of that market is substantial.
In this regard, the annual volume of EUAs traded on ICE Futures Europe amounted to
1,037,821,000 tons in 2007, an increase of 128% over 200615.
The purpose of Rules 101 and 102 is to prevent persons from conditioning the
market to facilitate a distribution. The relief granted in the Rydex Letter was based on the
experience of other CBIVs and analogous relief granted to traditional exchange traded funds. In
14
As in the Rydex Letter, the Distributor intends to publish certain market-related information on the Fund's
website during the applicable restricted period, including general information about the EUA futures market,
specific information regarding the Shares, the net asset value of the Fund's assets and the then-current market prices
of the Shares.
l5 As reported by the European Climate Exchange, which manages the marketing and product development for ECX
CFIs, listed and admitted to trading on the ICE Futures Europe's electronic platform.
BAKER BOrrS L1.P
Page 20 of 21
November 7,2008
this matter, as in the Rydex Letter and the letters cited therein, due to the redeemability of the
Shares in Baskets and the passive nature of the Fund, there should be little disparity between the
market price of a Share and the value of the underlying net assets represented by that Share
(other than that associated with currency risk, fees and expenses). Orders may be placed for
Baskets to be created and redeemed on any business day, and the settlement price is linked to the
price of the Fund's December ECX CFIs through the requirement that the Fund purchase or
liquidate December ECX CFIs in an amount approximating the Fund's NAV per Share on the
business day preceding its receipt of a purchase or redemption order. Beneficial owners of the
Shares also have the benefit of intra-day secondary market liquidity by virtue of the NYSE Arca
listing. Because of the redeemability of Baskets and the open-ended nature of the Fund, and the
fact that the underlying futures contracts may be linked to physical transactions, any significant
disparity between the market price of the Shares and the value of the futures contracts
represented by the Shares should be eliminated by arbitrage. Because the trading value of the
Shares should be determined largely by the market value of the Fund's portfolio of December
ECX CFIs and short-term fixed income securities, neither creation nor redemption of Shares, nor
purchases or sales in the secondary market, should impact the value of the underlying net assets
of the Fund, and such transactions should therefore not have a significant impact on the trading
price of the Shares.
Relief is required to permit the Fund's basic creation and redemption activities
and to facilitate the potential beneficial market effects of Share trading and arbitrage. The
analysis in the Rydex Letter applies equally in the instant matter. In view of the predictable lack
of any meaningful potential for the issuance, redemption and secondary market trading of Shares
to affect significantly Share pricing, application of Rule 101 to the Distributor and to Authorized
Participants that may be participating in a distribution is unnecessary and inappropriate and
could hinder Authorized Participants in their creation and redemption activities and undermine
the potential beneficial market effects of Share trading and arbitrage.
The Fund and the Sponsor also request that the Staff or the Commission confirm
that, as a result of the redeemable nature of the Shares, the Staff or the Commission would grant
an exemption under paragraph (e) of Rule 102 or adopt a no-action position permitting the Fund
to redeem Shares in Baskets during the continuous offering of Shares, and permitting the Fund's
affiliated purchasers, as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M, to engage in redemption
transactions and secondary market transactions in Shares. The purpose of Rule 102 is to prevent
persons from manipulating the price of a security during a distribution and to protect the integrity
of the offering process by prohibiting activities that could artificially influence the market for the
security being distributed. The Sponsor respectfully submits that the redemption transactions and
secondary market transactions described in this letter and the Registration Statement do not
constitute a manipulative or deceptive practice for purposes of Rule 102 of Regulation M and
that affiliated purchasers should be exempted from the provisions of Rule 102 to permit
redemptions of Shares in Baskets during the continuous offering of the Shares. Finally, the
Fund and the Sponsor request relief, as in the Rydex Letter, for the Distributor to publish certain
market-related information on the Fund's website during the applicable restricted period,
including general information about the EUA futures market, specific information regarding the
Shares, the NAV of the Fund and the then-current market prices of the Shares.
BAKER BO1TS L.1.P
Page 21 of 21
November 7,2008
Additional copies of this letter are enclosed pursuant to Securities Act Release
No. 33-6269 (December 5, 1980L If you have any questions regarding this letter or need any
additional information, please call me at (212) 408-2540.
If the Staff believes that it is unable to concur with the Sponsor's positions
expressed in this letter, we would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the request for relief with
the Staff prior to the issuance of a proposed negative response.
Sincerely,
Robert W. Murray
Baker Botts L.L.P.
30 Rockefeller Center
New York, N Y 10112
cc:
Bradley Gude
(Securities and Exchange Commission)
This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.