May 26, 2021
NYSE Arca Receives Approval for Proposed Rule Change to Exempt Funds from Shareholder Approval Requirements in Connection with Certain Acquisitions
On May 14, 2021, the NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) received approval from the SEC to implement a proposed rule change to exclude certain listed funds, including ETFs, from a requirement in NYSE Arca’s corporate governance rules (Rule 5.3-E(d)(9)) to obtain shareholder approvals for the issuance of securities…
September 23, 2020
NYSE Arca, Inc. Files Proposed Rule Change to Adopt a Generic Listing Rule for Certain Semi-Transparent ETFs
On September 15, 2020, the SEC issued a notice (Notice) regarding the NYSE Arca, Inc.’s (Exchange) filing of a proposed generic listing rule for certain semi-transparent ETFs (ST ETFs). An ST ETF is an exchange-traded fund that discloses alternative forms of information about its underlying portfolio each day, such as…
August 7, 2020
Director of SEC’s Division of Investment Management Discusses Easing Restrictions on Certain Registered Fund Investments in Private Funds
At a recent speech at PLI’s Investment Management Institute, Dalia Blass, Director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management (Division), announced that the Division’s staff (Staff) was re-examining a Staff position that historically limited certain registered fund’s investments in underlying hedge funds and private equity funds (private funds). The Staff’s…
June 2, 2020
CFTC Issues Customer Advisory Regarding Commodity ETPs and Funds
Recently, the CFTC issued a customer advisory (Advisory) in response to increased investor interest in exchange-traded products (ETPs) and funds that invest in futures or other types of commodity interests (collectively, Pools). The Advisory highlights the distinctions between ETPs and funds that invest in securities and Pools, which include the…
June 2, 2020
SEC Staff Withdraws Prior No-Action Guidance on State Control Share Acquisition Statutes
On May 27, 2020, the SEC staff (Staff) issued a statement (Statement) withdrawing a prior no-action letter (Boulder Total Return Fund, SEC No-Action Letter (Nov. 15, 2010) (Boulder)) addressing certain aspects of the intersection of the voting requirements of Section 18(i) of the 1940 Act and state control share acquisition…
May 21, 2020
SEC Charges Three Former Audit Firm Partners for Exam Sharing Misconduct
On May 18, 2020, the SEC entered into settlement agreements with three former partners of an independent public accounting firm (Firm) in connection with the partners’ conduct involving improperly receiving and sharing information about internal continuing professional education exams conducted by the Firm. The former partners participated in soliciting or…
May 15, 2020
ETF Sponsors Submit Letters to Major Exchanges Regarding ETP Categorization
On May 13, 2020, a group of six ETF sponsors submitted letters to Cboe Global Markets, Inc., NASDAQ, and Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (the parent of NYSE Arca) urging that each exchange adopt exchange listing rules or other means to categorize exchange-traded products (ETPs) differently (ETP Letter). The ETP Letter proposes…
March 25, 2020
Federal Reserve Opens Expanded Money Market Fund Liquidity Facility
On March 23, 2020, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced the opening of an expanded Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMFLF). The MMFLF will last until September 30, 2020 and applies to money market funds (MMFs) that identify themselves as prime, single state, or other tax exempt MMFs on Form…
March 19, 2020
Federal Reserve Creates Money Market Fund Liquidity Facility
On March 18, 2020, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced the creation of a Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMFLF). The MMFLF will last until September 30, 2020 and applies to money market funds (MMFs) that identify themselves as “prime” MMFs on Form N-MFP. Under the MMFLF, eligible borrowers (certain…
February 15, 2019
SEC’s Division of Investment Management Issues Information Update Regarding Updated Forms
On February 1, 2019, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management issued an Information Update to indicate that several forms (e.g., Forms N-1A, N-2, N-14 and N-CSR) on the SEC website have been updated to reflect amendments recently adopted by the SEC.