In order to be listed on the Exchange, an issuer shall be required to meet the criteria set forth in the Rule 5000 Series within Equity 3 or one or more of the paragraphs below. The Exchange may extend unlisted trading privileges to any security that is
an NMS Stock (as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS) that is listed on another national securities exchange. Any such security will be subject to all Exchange trading rules applicable to NMS Stocks, unless otherwise noted, including provisions of this Rule
and Rule 4120, Equity 3A, Section 3, and Equity 10, Section 8.
(a) The Exchange may list Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Ordinary Shares, Shares or Certificates of Beneficial Interest of Trust, Limited Partnership Interests, American Depositary Receipts (ADR), American Depositary Shares (ADS), Units, Rights or Warrants
pursuant to the Rule 5000 Series within Equity 3.
(b) Index Warrants
An index warrant may be listed if it substantially meets the following criteria:
(1) The minimum public distribution shall be at least 1 million warrants.
(2) The minimum number of public holders shall be at least 400.
(3) The aggregate market value of the outstanding index warrants shall be at least $4 million.
(4) The issuer of the index warrants must have a minimum tangible net worth in excess of $150 million.
(5) The term of the index warrant shall be for a period from one to five years.
(6) Limitations on Issuance — Where an issuer has a minimum tangible net worth in excess of $150 million but less than $250 million, the Exchange will not list stock index warrants of the issuer if the value of such warrants plus
the aggregate value, based upon the original issuing price, of all outstanding stock index, currency index and currency warrants of the issuer and its affiliates combined that are listed for trading on the Exchange or another national securities exchange exceeds
25% of the issuer's net worth.
(7) A.M. Settlement — The terms of stock index warrants for which 25% or more of the value of the underlying index is represented by securities that are traded primarily in the United States must provide that the opening prices of
the stocks comprising the index will be used to determine (i) the final settlement value (i.e., the settlement value for warrants that are exercised at expiration) and (ii) the settlement value for such warrants that are valued on either of the two business
days preceding the day on which the final settlement value is to be determined.
(8) Automatic Exercise — All stock index warrants and any other cash-settled warrants must include in their terms provisions specifying (i) the time by which all exercise notices must be submitted and (ii) that all unexercised warrants
that are in the money (or that are in the money by a stated amount) will be automatically exercised on their expiration date or on or promptly following the date on which such warrants are delisted by the Exchange (if such warrant issue has not been listed
on another national securities exchange).
(9) Foreign Country Securities — In instances where the stock index underlying a warrant is comprised in whole or in part with securities traded outside the United States, the foreign country securities or American Depositary Receipts
("ADRs") thereon that (i) are not subject to a comprehensive surveillance agreement, and (ii) have less than 50% of their global trading volume in dollar value within the United States, shall not, in the aggregate represent more than 20% of the weight of the
index, unless such index is otherwise approved for warrant or option trading.
(10) Changes in Number of Warrants Outstanding — Issuers of stock index warrants either will make arrangements with warrant transfer agents to advise the Exchange immediately of any change in the number of warrants outstanding due
to the early exercise of such warrants or will provide this information themselves. With respect to stock index warrants for which 25% or more of the value of the underlying index is represented by securities traded primarily in the United States, such notice
shall be filed with the Exchange no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, on the date when the settlement value for such warrants is determined. Such notice shall be filed in such form and manner as may be prescribed by the Exchange from time to time.
(11) Only eligible broad-based indexes can underlie index warrants. For purposes of this subparagraph, eligible broad-based indexes shall include those indexes approved by the Commission to underlie index warrants or index options
traded on the Exchange or another national securities exchange.
Any index warrant listed pursuant to this paragraph shall not be required to meet the requirements of Equity 3A, Section 4. The Exchange may apply additional or more stringent criteria as necessary to protect investors and the public
interest.
(c) Other Securities
(1) The Exchange will consider listing any security not otherwise covered by the listing criteria of the Rule 4000 or 5000 Series, provided the instrument is otherwise suited to trade through the facilities of the Exchange. Such
securities will be evaluated for listing against the following criteria:
(A) The issuer shall have assets in excess of $100 million and stockholders' equity of at least $10 million. In the case of an issuer which is unable to satisfy the income criteria set forth in the Rule 4300 Series, the Exchange
generally will require the issuer to have the following: (i) assets in excess of $200 million and stockholders' equity of at least $10 million; or (ii) assets in excess of $100 million and stockholders' equity of at least $20 million.
(B) There must be a minimum of 400 holders of the security, provided, however, that if the instrument is traded in $1,000 denominations, there must be a minimum of 100 holders.
(C) For equity securities listed pursuant to this paragraph, there must be a minimum public distribution of 1,000,000 trading units.
(D) The aggregate market value/principal amount of the security shall be at least $4 million.
(2) Issuers of securities listed pursuant to this paragraph (f) must also be eligible for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or be an affiliate of a company that is also eligible for listing
on the Nasdaq Global Market or the NYSE; provided, however, that the provisions of Equity 3A, Section 4 will be applied to sovereign issuers of "other" securities on a case-by-case basis.
(3) Prior to the commencement of trading of securities listed pursuant to this paragraph, the Exchange will evaluate the nature and complexity of the issue and, if appropriate, distribute a circular to the membership providing guidance
regarding member firm compliance responsibilities and requirements when handling transactions in such securities.
(d) The Exchange will consider listing Selected Equity-linked Debt Securities (SEEDS), pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, that generally meet the criteria of this paragraph. SEEDS are limited-term, non-convertible debt securities of an issuer where
the value of the debt is based, at least in part, on the value of up to thirty (30) other issuers' common stock or non-convertible preferred stock (or sponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) overlying such equity securities).
(1) Issuer Listing Standards
(A) The issuer of a SEEDS must be an entity that:
(i) is eligible for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or is an affiliate of a company eligible for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or the NYSE; provided, however, that the provisions of
Equity 3A, Section 4 will be applied to sovereign issuers of SEEDS on a case-by-case basis; and
(ii) has a minimum net worth of $150 million.
(B) In addition, the market value of a SEEDS offering, when combined with the market value of all other SEEDS offerings previously completed by the issuer and traded on the Exchange or another national securities exchange, may not
be greater than 25 percent of the issuer's net worth at the time of issuance.
(2) Equity-Linked Debt Security Listing Standards
The issue must have:
(A) a minimum public distribution of one million SEEDS;
(B) a minimum of 400 holders of the SEEDS, provided, however, that if the SEEDS is traded in $1,000 denominations, there is no minimum number of holders;
(C) a minimum market value of $4 million; and
(D) a minimum term of one year.
(3) Minimum Standards Applicable to the Linked Security
An equity security on which the value of the SEEDS is based must:
(A)
(i) have a market value of listed securities of at least $3 billion and a trading volume in the United States of at least 2.5 million shares in the one-year period preceding the listing of the SEEDS;
(ii) have a market value of listed securities of at least $1.5 billion and a trading volume in the United States of at least 10 million shares in the one-year period preceding the listing of the SEEDS; or
(iii) have a market value of listed securities of at least $500 million and a trading volume in the United States of at least 15 million shares in the one-year period preceding the listing of the SEEDS.
(B) be issued by a company that has a continuous reporting obligation under the Act, and the security must be listed on the Exchange or another national securities exchange and be subject to last sale reporting; and
(C) be issued by:
(i) a U.S. company; or
(ii) a non-U.S. company (including a company that is traded in the United States through sponsored ADRs) (for purposes of this paragraph (g), a non-U.S. company is any company formed or incorporated outside of the United States)
if:
a. the Exchange or its subsidiaries has a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement in place with the primary exchange in the country where the security is primarily traded (in the case of an ADR, the primary exchange on which
the security underlying the ADR is traded);
b. the combined trading volume of the non-U.S. security (a security issued by a non-U.S. company) and other related non-U.S. securities occurring in the U.S. market and in markets with which the Exchange or its subsidiaries has
in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement represents (on a share equivalent basis for any ADRs) at least 50% of the combined world-wide trading volume in the non-U.S. security, other related non-U.S. securities, and other classes of common stock
related to the non-U.S. security over the six month period preceding the date of listing; or
c.
1. the combined trading volume of the non-U.S. security and other related non-U.S. securities occurring in the U.S. market represents (on a share equivalent basis) at least 20% of the combined world-wide trading volume in the non-U.S.
security and in other related non-U.S. securities over the six-month period preceding the date of selection of the non-U.S. security for a SEEDS listing.
2. the average daily trading volume for the non-U.S. security in the U.S. markets over the six-month period preceding the date of selection of the non-U.S. security for a SEEDS listing is 100,000 or more shares; and
3. the trading volume for the non-U.S. security in the U.S. market is at least 60,000 shares per day for a majority of the trading days for the six- month period preceding the date of selection of the non-U.S. security for a SEEDS
listing.
d. If the underlying security to which the SEEDS is to be linked is the stock of a non-U.S. company which is traded in the U.S. market as a sponsored ADR, ordinary shares or otherwise, then the minimum number of holders of the underlying
linked security shall be 2,000.
(4) Limits on the Number of SEEDS Linked to a Particular Security
(A) The issuance of SEEDS relating to any underlying U.S. security may not exceed five percent of the total outstanding shares of such underlying security. The issuance of SEEDS relating to any underlying non-U.S. security or sponsored
ADR may not exceed: (i) two percent of the total shares outstanding worldwide if at least 30 percent of the worldwide trading volume in such security occurs in the U.S. market during the six-month period preceding the date of listing;1 (ii) three percent of
the total shares outstanding worldwide if at least 50 percent of the worldwide trading volume in such security occurs in the U.S. market during the six-month period preceding the date of listing; (iii) five percent of the total shares outstanding worldwide
if at least 70 percent of the worldwide trading volume in such security occurs in the U.S. market during the six-month period preceding the date of listing.
1
(B) If an issuer proposes to issue SEEDS that relate to more than the allowable percentages of the underlying security specified above, then the Exchange, with the concurrence of the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets of
the Commission, will evaluate the maximum percentage of SEEDS that may be issued on a case-by-case basis.
(5) Prior to the commencement of trading of a particular SEEDS listed pursuant to this subsection, the Exchange or its subsidiaries will distribute a circular to the membership providing guidance regarding member firm compliance
responsibilities (including suitability recommendations and account approval) when handling transactions in SEEDS.
(e) Portfolio Depository Receipts
(1) Definitions. The following terms shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings herein specified:
(A) Portfolio Depository Receipt. The term "Portfolio Depository Receipt" means a security:
(i) that is based on a unit investment trust ("Trust") which holds the securities which comprise an index or portfolio underlying a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts;
(ii) that is issued by the Trust in a specified aggregate minimum number in return for a "Portfolio Deposit" consisting of specified numbers of shares of stock and/or a cash amount, a specified portfolio of fixed income securities
and/or a cash amount and/or a combination of the above;
(iii) that, when aggregated in the same specified minimum number, may be redeemed from the Trust which will pay to the redeeming holder the stock and/or cash, fixed income securities and/or cash and/or a combination thereof then
comprising the "Portfolio Deposit"; and
(iv) that pays holders a periodic cash payment corresponding to the regular cash dividends or distributions declared with respect to the component securities of the securities index or portfolio of securities underlying the Portfolio
Depository Receipts, less certain expenses and other charges as set forth in the Trust prospectus.
(B) Reporting Authority. The term "Reporting Authority" in respect to a particular series of Portfolio Depository Receipts means the Exchange, an affiliate of the Exchange, an institution (including the Trustee for a series of Portfolio
Depository Receipts), or a reporting service designated by the Exchange or its affiliate as the official source for calculating and reporting information relating to such series, including, but not limited to, any current index or portfolio value; the current
value of the portfolio of securities required to be deposited to the Trust in connection with issuance of Portfolio Depository Receipts; the amount of any dividend equivalent payment or cash distribution to holders of Portfolio Depository Receipts, net asset
value, and other information relating to the creation, redemption or trading of Portfolio Depository Receipts.
Nothing in this paragraph shall imply that an institution or reporting service that is the source for calculating and reporting information relating to Portfolio Depository Receipts must be designated by the Exchange; the term "Reporting
Authority" shall not refer to an institution or reporting service not so designated.
(C) US Component Stock. The term "US Component Stock" shall mean an equity security that is registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act, or an American Depository Receipt, the underlying equity security of which is registered
under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act.
(D) Non-US Component Stock. The term "Non-US Component Stock" shall mean an equity security that (a) is not registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act, (b) is issued by an entity that is not organized, domiciled or incorporated
in the United States, and (c) is issued by an entity that is an operating company (including Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and income trusts, but excluding investment trusts, unit trusts, mutual funds, and derivatives).
(2) The Exchange requires that members provide to all purchasers of a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts a written description of the terms and characteristics of such securities, not later than the time a confirmation of the
first transaction in such series is delivered to such purchaser. In addition, members shall include such a written description with any sales material relating to a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts that is provided to customers or the public. Any other
written materials provided by a member to customers or the public making specific reference to a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts as an investment vehicle must include a statement in substantially the following form: "A circular describing the terms
and characteristics of [the series of Portfolio Depository Receipts] has been prepared by [Trust name] and is available from your broker or Nasdaq BX. It is recommended that you obtain and review such circular before purchasing [the series of Portfolio Depository
Receipts]. In addition, upon request you may obtain from your broker a prospectus for [the series of Portfolio Depository Receipts]."
A member carrying an omnibus account for a non-member broker-dealer is required to inform such non-member that execution of an order to purchase a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts for such omnibus account will be deemed to
constitute agreement by the non-member to make such written description available to its customers on the same terms as are directly applicable to members and member organizations under this rule.
Upon request of a customer, a member shall also provide a prospectus for the particular series of Portfolio Depository Receipts.
(3) Equity. The Exchange may approve a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, provided each of the following criteria is satisfied:
(A) Eligibility Criteria for Index Components.
(i) US Index or Portfolio. Upon the initial listing of a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, the component stocks of an index or portfolio of US Component Stocks underlying such series
of Portfolio Depository Receipts shall meet the following criteria:
a. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum market value of at least $75 million;
b. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum monthly trading volume during each of the last six months of at least 250,000 shares;
c. The most heavily weighted component stock shall not exceed 30% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five most heavily weighted component stocks shall not exceed 65% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
d. The index or portfolio shall include a minimum of 13 component stocks; and
e. All securities in the index or portfolio shall be US Component Stocks listed on the Exchange or another national securities exchange and shall be NMS Stocks as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act.
(ii) International or global index or portfolio. Upon the initial listing of a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, the components of an index or portfolio underlying a series of Portfolio
Depository Receipts that consist of either only Non-US Component Stocks or both US Component Stocks and Non-US Component Stocks shall meet the following criteria:
a. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum market value of at least $100 million;
b. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum worldwide monthly trading volume during each of the last six months of at least 250,000 shares;
c. The most heavily weighted component stock shall not exceed 25% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five most heavily weighted component stocks shall not exceed 60% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
d. The index or portfolio shall include a minimum of 20 component stocks; and
e. Each US Component Stock shall be listed on a national securities exchange and shall be an NMS Stock as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act, and each Non-US Component Stock shall be listed and traded on an exchange
that has last-sale reporting.
(iii) Index or portfolio approved in connection with derivative securities. Upon the initial listing of a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, the index or portfolio underlying a series
of Portfolio Depository Receipts shall have been reviewed and approved for trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares, index-linked exchangeable notes, or index-linked securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Act
and rules thereunder, and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order, including comprehensive surveillance sharing agreements with respect to Non-US Component Stocks and the requirements regarding dissemination of information, continue to
be satisfied. Each component stock of the index or portfolio shall be either
a. a US Component Stock that is listed on a national securities exchange and is an NMS Stock as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act, or
b. a Non-US Component Stock that is listed and traded on an exchange that has last-sale reporting.
(B) Index Methodology and Calculation.
(i) If the index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index and
the index shall be calculated by a third party who is not a broker-dealer or fund advisor;
(ii) The current index value for Portfolio Depository Receipts listed pursuant to:
a. Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(3)(A)(i) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session.
b. Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(3)(A)(ii) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 60 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session; or
c. Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(3)(A)(iii) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds with respect to indexes containing only US Component Stocks and at least every 60 seconds with
respect to indexes containing Non-US Component Stocks, during the Exchange's regular market session.
If the index value does not change during some or all of the period when trading is occurring on the Exchange (for example, for indexes of Non-US Component Stocks because of time zone differences or holidays in the countries where
such indexes' component stocks trade), then the last official calculated index value must remain available throughout the Exchange's trading hours; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on the index or portfolio composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or
be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(C) Disseminated Information. The Reporting Authority will disseminate for each series of Portfolio Depository Receipts an estimate, updated at least every 15 seconds, of the value of a share of each series (the "Intraday Indicative
Value") during the Exchange's regular market session. The Intraday Indicative Value may be based, for example, upon current information regarding the required deposit of securities and cash amount to permit creation of new shares of the series or upon the
index value. The Intraday Indicative Value will be updated at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session; to reflect changes in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the currency in which any component stock is denominated. If
the Intraday Indicative Value does not change during some or all of the period when trading is occurring on the Exchange, then the last official calculated Intraday Indicative Value must remain available throughout the Exchange's trading hours.
(D) Initial Shares Outstanding. A minimum of 100,000 shares of a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts is required to be outstanding at start-up of trading.
(E) Surveillance Procedures. FINRA will implement written surveillance procedures for Portfolio Depository Receipts.
(F) Creation and redemption. For Portfolio Depository Receipts listed pursuant to Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(3)(A)(ii) or (iii) above, the statutory prospectus or the application for exemption from provisions of the Investment Company
Act of 1940 for the series of Portfolio Depository Receipts must state that the Trust must comply with the federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted
for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
(4) Fixed Income. Fixed Income Securities are debt securities that are notes, bonds, debentures or evidence of indebtedness that include, but are not limited to, U.S. Department of Treasury securities ("Treasury Securities"), government-sponsored
entity securities ("GSE Securities"), municipal securities, trust preferred securities, supranational debt and debt of a foreign country or subdivision thereof. The Exchange may approve a series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts based on Fixed Income Securities
for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provided such portfolio or index: (i) has been reviewed and approved for the trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares, Index-Linked Exchangeable
Notes or Index-Linked Securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order continue to be satisfied; or (ii) the following criteria
are satisfied:
(A) Eligibility Criteria for Index Components. Upon the initial listing of a series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each component of an index or portfolio that
underlies a series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts shall meet the following criteria:
(i) The index or portfolio must consist of Fixed Income Securities;
(ii) Components that in aggregate account for at least 75% of the weight of the index or portfolio must have a minimum original principal amount outstanding of $100 million or more;
(iii) A component may be a convertible security, however, once the convertible security component converts to an underlying equity security, the component is removed from the index or portfolio;
(iv) No component fixed-income security (excluding Treasury Securities) will represent more than 30% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five highest weighted component fixed-income securities do not in the aggregate
account for more than 65% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
(v) An underlying index or portfolio (excluding exempted securities) must include securities from a minimum of 13 non-affiliated issuers; and
(vi) Component securities that in aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio must be either: (a) from issuers that are required to file reports pursuant to Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
(b) from issuers that have a worldwide market value of its outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more; (c) from issuers that have outstanding securities that are notes, bonds, debentures, or evidence of indebtedness having a total
remaining principal amount of at least $1 billion; (d) exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or (e) from issuers that are a government of a foreign country or a political subdivision of a foreign country.
(B) Index Methodology and Calculation.
(i) If the index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index;
(ii) The current index value will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least once per day; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on the index composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or be subject
to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(5) The Exchange may approve a series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts based on a combination of indexes or an index or portfolio of component securities representing the U.S. equity market, the international equity market, and the
fixed income market for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provided: (i) each index has been reviewed and approved for the trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares, Index-Linked
Exchangeable Notes or Index-Linked Securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order continue to be satisfied; or (ii) each index
or portfolio of equity and fixed income component securities separately meets either the criteria set forth in Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(3) or (4) above.
(A) Index Methodology and Calculation.
(i) If an index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index;
(ii) The current composite index value will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least once every 15 seconds during the regular market session, provided however, that (a) with respect to the Non-US
Component Stocks of the combination index, the impact on the index is only required to be updated at least every 60 seconds during the regular market session, and (b) with respect to the fixed income components of the combination index the impact on the index
is only required to be updated at least once each day; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on index composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or be subject to,
procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(6) The following provisions shall apply to all series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts listed pursuant Equity 3A, Section 2(e)(4) and (5) above:
(A) Disseminated Information. The Reporting Authority will disseminate for each series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts an estimate, updated at least every 15 seconds, of the value of a share of each series (the "Intraday Indicative
Value"). The Intraday Indicative Value may be based, for example, upon current information regarding the required deposit of securities and cash amount to permit creation of new shares of the series or upon the index value. The Intraday Indicative Value may
be calculated by the Exchange or by an independent third party throughout the day using prices obtained from independent market data providers or other independent pricing sources such as a broker-dealer or price evaluation services.
(B) Initial Shares Outstanding. A minimum of 100,000 shares of a series of Portfolio Depositary Receipts is required to be outstanding at start-up of trading.
(C) Surveillance Procedures. FINRA will implement written surveillance procedures for Portfolio Depositary Receipts.
(7) Regular market session trading will occur between 9:30 a.m. and either 4:00 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. for each series of Portfolio Depository Receipts, as specified by the Exchange. In addition, the Exchange may designate each series
of Portfolio Depository Receipts for trading during a pre-market session beginning at 7:00 a.m. and/or a post-market session ending at 7:00 p.m.
(8) The Exchange may list and trade Portfolio Depository Receipts based on one or more indexes or portfolios. The Portfolio Depository Receipts based on each particular index or portfolio, or combination thereof, shall be designated
as a separate series and shall be identified by a unique symbol. The components of an index or portfolio on which Portfolio Depository Receipts are based shall be selected by the Exchange or its agent, an affiliate of the Exchange, or by such other person
as shall have a proprietary interest in and authorized use of such index or portfolio, and may be revised from time to time as may be deemed necessary or appropriate to maintain the quality and character of the index or portfolio.
(9) A Trust upon which a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts is based will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following criteria:
(A) Initial Listing —
(i) for each Trust, the Exchange will establish a minimum number of Portfolio Depository Receipts required to be outstanding at the time of commencement of trading on the Exchange.
(ii) the Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of each series of Portfolio Depository Receipts that the net asset value per share for the series will be calculated daily and will be made available to all market participants
at the same time.
(B) Continued Listing —
(i) The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in or removal from listing of a Trust upon which a series of Portfolio Depository Receipts is based under any of the following circumstances:
a. if, following the initial twelve month period after the formation of a Trust and commencement of trading on the Exchange, the Trust has more than 60 days remaining until termination and there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial
holders of Portfolio Depository Receipts for 30 or more consecutive trading days;
b. if the value of the index or portfolio of securities on which the Trust is based is no longer calculated or available or the index or portfolio on which the Trust is based is replaced with a new index or portfolio, unless the
new index or portfolio meets the requirements of this Rule for listing either pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (including the filing of a Form 19b-4(e) with the Commission) or by Commission approval of a filing pursuant to
Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or
c. if such other event shall occur or condition exists which in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable.
Upon termination of a Trust, the Exchange requires that Portfolio Depository Receipts issued in connection with such Trust be removed from listing. A Trust may terminate in accordance with the provisions of the Trust prospectus,
which may provide for termination if the value of securities in the Trust falls below a specified amount.
(C) Term — the stated term of the Trust shall be as stated in the Trust prospectus. However, a Trust may be terminated under such earlier circumstances as may be specified in the Trust prospectus.
(D) Voting — voting rights shall be as set forth in the Trust prospectus. The Trustee of a Trust may have the right to vote all of the voting securities of such Trust.
(10) Neither the Exchange, the Reporting Authority nor any agent of the Exchange shall have any liability for damages, claims, losses or expenses caused by any errors, omissions, or delays in calculating or disseminating any current
index or portfolio value, the current value of the portfolio of securities required to be deposited to the Trust; the amount of any dividend equivalent payment or cash distribution to holders of Portfolio Depository Receipts; net asset value; or other information
relating to the creation, redemption or trading of Portfolio Depository Receipts, resulting from any negligent act or omission by the Exchange, the Reporting Authority, or any agent of the Exchange or any act, condition or cause beyond the reasonable control
of the Exchange, its agent, or the Reporting Authority, including, but not limited to, an act of God; fire; flood; extraordinary weather conditions; war; insurrection; riot; strike; accident; action of government; communications or power failure; equipment
or software malfunction; or any error, omission or delay in the reports of transactions in one or more underlying securities.
(f) Index Fund Shares
(1) Definitions. The following terms shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings herein specified:
(A) Index Fund Share. The term "Index Fund Share" means a security:
(i) that is issued by an open-end management investment company based on a portfolio of stocks or fixed income securities or a combination thereof, that seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price
and yield performance or total return performance of a specified foreign or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index or combination thereof;
(ii) that is issued by such an open-end management investment company in a specified aggregate minimum number in return for a deposit of specified numbers of shares of stock and/or a cash amount, a specified portfolio of fixed income
securities and/or a cash amount and/or a combination of the above, with a value equal to the next determined net asset value; and
(iii) that, when aggregated in the same specified minimum number, may be redeemed at a holder's request by such open-end investment company which will pay to the redeeming holder the stock and/or cash, fixed income securities and/or
cash and/or a combination thereof, with a value equal to the next determined net asset value.
(B)
(i) The term "Index Fund Share" includes a security issued by an open-end management investment company that seeks to provide investment results that either exceed the performance of a specified domestic equity, international or
global equity, or fixed income index or a combination thereof by a specified multiple or that correspond to the inverse (opposite) of the performance of a specified domestic equity, international or global equity, or fixed income index or a combination thereof
by a specified multiple. Such a security is issued in a specified aggregate number in return for a deposit of a specified number of shares of stock, a specified portfolio of fixed income securities or a combination of the above and/or cash with a value equal
to the next determined net asset value. When aggregated in the same specified minimum number, Index Fund Shares may be redeemed at a holder's request by such open-end investment company which will pay to the redeeming holder the stock, fixed income securities
or a combination thereof and/or cash with a value equal to the next determined net asset value.
(ii) In order to achieve the investment result that it seeks to provide, such an investment company may hold a combination of financial instruments, including, but not limited to, stock index futures contracts; options on futures
contracts; options on securities and indices; equity caps, collars and floors; swap agreements; forward contracts; repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements (the "Financial Instruments"), but only to the extent and in the amounts or percentages
as set forth in the registration statement for such Index Fund Shares.
(iii) Any open-end management investment company which issues Index Fund Shares referenced in this subparagraph (1)(B) that seeks to provide investment results, before fees and expenses, in an amount that exceeds -200% of the percentage
performance on a given day of a particular domestic equity, international or global equity or fixed income securities index or a combination thereof shall not be approved by the Exchange for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.
(iv) For the initial and continued listing of a series of Index Fund Shares referenced in the provisions of this subparagraph (1)(B), the following requirements must be adhered to:
Daily public website disclosure of portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the calculation of the net asset value by the issuer of such series, including, as applicable, the following instruments:
a. The identity and number of shares held of each specific equity security;
b. The identity and amount held for each specific fixed income security;
c. The specific types of Financial Instruments and characteristics of such Financial Instruments; and
d. Cash equivalents and the amount of cash held in the portfolio.
If the Exchange becomes aware that the net asset value related to Index Fund Shares included in the provisions of this subparagraph (1)(B) is not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time or the daily public
website disclosure of portfolio holdings does not occur, the Exchange shall halt trading in such series of Index Fund Share, as appropriate. The Exchange may resume trading in such Index Fund Shares only when the net asset value is disseminated to all market
participants at the same time or the daily public website disclosure of portfolio holdings occurs, as appropriate.
(C) Reporting Authority. The term "Reporting Authority" in respect of a particular series of Index Fund Shares means the Exchange, an affiliate of the Exchange, or an institution or reporting service designated by the Exchange or
its affiliate as the official source for calculating and reporting information relating to such series, including, but not limited to, any current index or portfolio value; the current value of the portfolio of any securities required to be deposited in connection
with issuance of Index Fund Shares; the amount of any dividend equivalent payment or cash distribution to holders of Index Fund Shares, net asset value, and other information relating to the issuance, redemption or trading of Index Fund Shares.
Nothing in this paragraph shall imply that an institution or reporting service that is the source for calculating and reporting information relating to Index Fund Shares must be designated by the Exchange; the term "Reporting Authority"
shall not refer to an institution or reporting service not so designated.
(D) US Component Stock. The term "US Component Stock" shall mean an equity security that is registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act, or an American Depository Receipt, the underlying equity security of which is registered
under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act.
(E) Non-US Component Stock. The term "Non-US Component Stock" shall mean an equity security that (a) is not registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Act, (b) is issued by an entity that is not organized, domiciled or incorporated
in the United States, and (c) is issued by an entity that is an operating company (including Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and income trusts, but excluding investment trusts, unit trusts, mutual funds, and derivatives).
(2) The Exchange requires that members provide to all purchasers of a series of Index Fund Shares a written description of the terms and characteristics of such securities, in a form prepared by the open-end management investment
company issuing such securities, not later than the time a confirmation of the first transaction in such series is delivered to such purchaser. In addition, members shall include such a written description with any sales material relating to a series of Index
Fund Shares that is provided to customers or the public. Any other written materials provided by a member to customers or the public making specific reference to a series of Index Fund Shares as an investment vehicle must include a statement in substantially
the following form: "A circular describing the terms and characteristics of [the series of Index Fund Shares] has been prepared by the [open-end management investment company name] and is available from your broker or Nasdaq BX. It is recommended that you
obtain and review such circular before purchasing [the series of Index Fund Shares]. In addition, upon request you may obtain from your broker a prospectus for [the series of Index Fund Shares]."
A member carrying an omnibus account for a non-member broker-dealer is required to inform such non-member that execution of an order to purchase a series of Index Fund Shares for such omnibus account will be deemed to constitute
agreement by the non-member to make such written description available to its customers on the same terms as are directly applicable to members and member organizations under this rule.
Upon request of a customer, a member shall also provide a prospectus for the particular series of Index Fund Shares.
(3) Equity. The Exchange may approve a series of Index Fund Shares for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act provided each of the following criteria is satisfied:
(A) Eligibility Criteria for Index Components.
(i) US Index or Portfolio. Upon the initial listing of a series of Index Fund Shares pursuant to 19b-4(e) under the Act, the component stocks of an index or portfolio of US Component Stocks underlying a series of Index Fund Shares
shall meet the following criteria:
a. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum market value of at least $75 million;
b. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum monthly trading volume during each of the last six months of at least 250,000 shares;
c. The most heavily weighted component stock shall not exceed 30% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five most heavily weighted component stocks shall not exceed 65% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
d. The index or portfolio shall include a minimum of 13 component stocks; and
e. All securities in the index or portfolio shall be US Component Stocks listed on the Exchange or another national securities exchange and shall be NMS Stocks as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act.
(ii) International or global index or portfolio. Upon the initial listing of a series of Index Fund Shares pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, the components of an index or portfolio underlying a series of Index Fund Shares
that consist of either only Non-US Component Stocks or both US Component Stocks and Non-US Component Stocks shall meet the following criteria:
a. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum market value of at least $100 million;
b. Component stocks that in the aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum worldwide monthly trading volume during each of the last six months of at least 250,000 shares;
c. The most heavily weighted component stock shall not exceed 25% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five most heavily weighted component stocks shall not exceed 60% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
d. The index or portfolio shall include a minimum of 20 component stocks; and
e. Each US Component Stock shall be listed on a national securities exchange and shall be an NMS Stock as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act, and each Non-US Component Stock shall be listed and traded on an exchange
that has last-sale reporting.
(iii) Index or portfolio approved in connection with derivative securities. Upon the initial listing of a series of Index Fund Shares pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, the index or portfolio underlying a series of Index Fund
Shares shall have been reviewed and approved for trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares, index-linked exchangeable notes, or index-linked securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Act and rules thereunder, and
the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order, including comprehensive surveillance sharing agreements with respect to Non-US Component Stocks and the requirements regarding dissemination of information, continue to be satisfied. Each component
stock of the index or portfolio shall be either
a. a US Component Stock that is listed on a national securities exchange and is an NMS Stock as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act, or
b. a Non-US Component Stock that is listed and traded on an exchange that has last-sale reporting.
(B) Index Methodology and Calculation
(i) If the index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index and
the index shall be calculated by a third party who is not a broker-dealer or fund advisor;
(ii) The current index value for Index Fund Shares listed pursuant to:
a. Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(3)(A)(i) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session;
b. Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(3)(A)(ii) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 60 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session; or
c. Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(3)(A)(iii) will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds with respect to indexes containing only US Component Stocks and at least every 60 seconds with
respect to indexes containing Non-US Component Stocks, during the Exchange's regular market session
If the index value does not change during some or all of the period when trading is occurring on the Exchange (for example, for indexes of Non-US Component Stocks because of time zone differences or holidays in the countries where
such indexes' component stocks trade), then the last official calculated index value must remain available throughout the Exchange's trading hours; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on the index or portfolio composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or
be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(C) Disseminated Information. The Reporting Authority will disseminate for each series of Index Fund Shares an estimate, updated at least every 15 seconds, of the value of a share of each series (the "Intraday Indicative Value")
during the Exchange's regular market session. The Intraday Indicative Value may be based, for example, upon current information regarding the required deposit of securities and cash amount to permit creation of new shares of the series or upon the index value.
The Intraday Indicative Value will be updated at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session; to reflect changes in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the currency in which any component stock is denominated. If the Intraday
Indicative Value does not change during some or all of the period when trading is occurring on the Exchange, then the last official calculated Intraday Indicative Value must remain available throughout the Exchange's trading hours.
(D) Initial Shares Outstanding. A minimum of 100,000 shares of a series of Index Fund Shares is required to be outstanding at start-up of trading.
(E) Surveillance Procedures. FINRA will implement written surveillance procedures for Index Fund Shares.
(F) Creation and redemption. For Index Fund Shares listed pursuant to Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(3)(A)(ii) or (iii) above, the statutory prospectus or the application for exemption from provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940
for the series of Index Fund Shares must state that the series of Index Fund Shares must comply with the federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted
for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
(4) Fixed Income. Fixed Income Securities are debt securities that are notes, bonds, debentures or evidence of indebtedness that include, but are not limited to, U.S. Department of Treasury securities ("Treasury Securities"), government-sponsored
entity securities ("GSE Securities"), municipal securities, trust preferred securities, supranational debt and debt of a foreign country or subdivision thereof. The Exchange may approve a series of Index Fund Shares based on Fixed Income Securities for listing
and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provided such portfolio or index: (i) has been reviewed and approved for the trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares, Index-Linked Exchangeable Notes
or Index-Linked Securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order continue to be satisfied; or (ii) the following criteria are
satisfied:
(A) Eligibility Criteria for Index Components. Upon the initial listing of Index Fund Shares pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each component of an index or portfolio that underlies a series of
Index Fund Shares shall meet the following criteria:
(i) The index or portfolio must consist of Fixed Income Securities;
(ii) Components that in aggregate account for at least 75% of the weight of the index or portfolio must have a minimum original principal amount outstanding of $100 million or more;
(iii) A component may be a convertible security, however, once the convertible security component converts to an underlying equity security, the component is removed from the index or portfolio;
(iv) No component fixed-income security (excluding Treasury Securities) will represent more than 30% of the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five highest weighted component fixed-income securities do not in the aggregate
account for more than 65% of the weight of the index or portfolio;
(v) An underlying index or portfolio (excluding exempted securities) must include securities from a minimum of 13 non-affiliated issuers; and
(vi) Component securities that in aggregate account for at least 90% of the weight of the index or portfolio must be either: (a) from issuers that are required to file reports pursuant to Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
(b) from issuers that have a worldwide market value of its outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more; (c) from issuers that have outstanding securities that are notes, bonds, debentures, or evidence of indebtedness having a total
remaining principal amount of at least $1 billion; (d) exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or (e) from issuers that are a government of a foreign country or a political subdivision of a foreign country.
(B) Index Methodology and Calculation.
(i) If the index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index;
(ii) The current index value will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least once per day; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on the index composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or be subject
to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(5) The Exchange may approve a series of Index Fund Shares based on a combination of indexes or an index or portfolio of component securities representing the U.S. equity market, the international equity market, and the fixed income
market for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provided: (i) such portfolio or combination of indexes has been reviewed and approved for the trading of options, Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares,
Index-Linked Exchangeable Notes or Index-Linked Securities by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order continue to be satisfied; or (ii)
each index or portfolio of equity and fixed income component securities separately meets either the criteria set forth in Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(3) or (4) above.
(A) Index Methodology and Calculation.
(i) If an index is maintained by a broker-dealer or fund advisor, the broker-dealer or fund advisor shall erect a "fire wall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index;
(ii) The current composite index value will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least once every 15 seconds during regular market session, provided however, that (a) with respect to the Non-US Component
Stocks of the combination index, the impact on the index is only required to be updated at least every 60 seconds during the regular market session, and (b) with respect to the fixed income components of the combination index the impact on the index is only
required to be updated at least once each day; and
(iii) Any advisory committee, supervisory board, or similar entity that advises a Reporting Authority or that makes decisions on index composition, methodology and related matters, must implement and maintain, or be subject to,
procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable index.
(6) The following provisions shall apply to all series of Index Fund Shares listed pursuant Equity 3A, Section 2(f)(4) and (5) above:
(A) Disseminated Information. The Reporting Authority will disseminate for each series of Index Fund Shares an estimate, updated at least every 15 seconds, of the value of a share of each series (the "Intraday Indicative Value").
The Intraday Indicative Value may be based, for example, upon current information regarding the required deposit of securities and cash amount to permit creation of new shares of the series or upon the index value. The Intraday Indicative Value may be calculated
by the Exchange or by an independent third party throughout the day using prices obtained from independent market data providers or other independent pricing sources such as a broker-dealer or price evaluation services.
(B) Initial Shares Outstanding. A minimum of 100,000 shares of a series of Index Fund Shares is required to be outstanding at start-up of trading.
(C) Surveillance Procedures. FINRA will implement written surveillance procedures for Index Fund Shares.
(7) Regular market session trading will occur between 9:30 a.m. and either 4:00 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. for each series of Index Fund Shares, as specified by the Exchange. In addition, the Exchange may designate each series of Index Fund
Shares for trading during a pre-market session beginning at 7:00 a.m. and/or a post-market session ending at 7:00 p.m.
(8) The Exchange may list and trade Index Fund Shares based on one or more foreign or domestic indexes or portfolios. Each issue of Index Fund Shares based on each particular index or portfolio, or combination thereof, shall be designated
as a separate series and shall be identified by a unique symbol. The components that are included in an index or portfolio on which a series of Index Fund Shares are based shall be selected by such person, which may be the Exchange or an agent or wholly-owned
subsidiary thereof, as shall have authorized use of such index or portfolio. Such index or portfolio may be revised from time to time as may be deemed necessary or appropriate to maintain the quality and character of the index or portfolio.
(9) Each series of Index Fund Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following criteria:
(A) Initial Listing —
(i) for each series, the Exchange will establish a minimum number of Index Fund Shares required to be outstanding at the time of commencement of trading on the Exchange.
(ii) The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of each series of Index Fund Shares that the net asset value per share for the series will be calculated daily and will be made available to all market participants
at the same time.
(B) Continued Listing —
(i) The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in or removal from listing of a series of Index Fund Shares under any of the following circumstances:
a. if, following the initial twelve month period after commencement of trading on the Exchange of a series of Index Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the series of Index Fund Shares for 30 or more consecutive
trading days;
b. if the value of the index or portfolio of securities on which the series of Index Fund Shares is based is no longer calculated or available or the index or portfolio on which the series of Index Fund Shares is based is replaced
with a new index or portfolio, unless the new index or portfolio meets the requirements of this Equity 3A, Section 2(f) for listing either pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (including the filing of a Form 19b-4(e) with the
Commission) or by Commission approval of a filing pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or
c. if such other event shall occur or condition exists which in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable.
Upon termination of an open-end management investment company, the Exchange requires that Index Fund Shares issued in connection with such entity be removed from listing.
(C) Voting — voting rights shall be as set forth in the applicable open-end management investment company prospectus.
(10) Neither the Exchange, the Reporting Authority, nor any agent of the Exchange shall have any liability for damages, claims, losses or expenses caused by any errors, omissions, or delays in calculating or disseminating any current
index or portfolio value, the current value of the portfolio of securities required to be deposited to the open-end management investment company in connection with issuance of Index Fund Shares; the amount of any dividend equivalent payment or cash distribution
to holders of Index Fund Shares; net asset value; or other information relating to the purchase, redemption or trading of Index Fund Shares, resulting from any negligent act or omission by the Exchange, the Reporting Authority or any agent of the Exchange,
or any act, condition or cause beyond the reasonable control of the Exchange, its agent, or the Reporting Authority, including, but not limited to, an act of God; fire; flood; extraordinary weather conditions; war; insurrection; riot; strike; accident; action
of government; communications or power failure; equipment or software malfunction; or any error, omission or delay in the reports of transactions in one or more underlying securities.
(g) Trust Issued Receipts
(1) Definition. The term "Trust Issued Receipt" means a security (a) that is issued by a trust ("Trust") which holds specified securities deposited with the Trust; (b) that, when aggregated in some specified minimum number,
may be surrendered to the trust by the beneficial owner to receive the securities; and (c) that pays beneficial owners dividends and other distributions on the deposited securities, if any are declared and paid to the trustee by an issuer of the deposited
securities.
(2) The Exchange requires that members provide to all purchasers of newly issued Trust Issued Receipts a prospectus for the series of Trust Issued Receipts.
(3) The eligibility requirements for component securities that are represented by a series of Trust Issued Receipts and that became part of the Trust Issued Receipt when the security was either: (a) distributed by a company already
included as a component security in the series of Trust Issued Receipts; or (b) received in exchange for the securities of a company previously included as a component security that is no longer outstanding due to a merger, consolidation, corporate combination
or other event, shall be as follows:
(A) the component security must be listed on the Exchange or another national securities exchange;
(B) the component security must be registered under Section 12 of the Act; and
(C) the component security must have a Standard & Poor's Sector Classification that is the same as the Standard & Poor's Sector Classification represented by the component securities included in the Trust Issued Receipt at the time
of the distribution or exchange.
(4) Transactions in Trust Issued Receipts may be effected until 4:00 p.m. each business day.
(5) The Exchange may list and trade Trust Issued Receipts based on one or more securities. The Trust Issued Receipts based on particular securities shall be designated as a separate series and shall be identified by a unique symbol.
The securities that are included in a series of Trust Issued Receipts shall be selected by the Exchange or its agent, an affiliate of the Exchange, or by such other person as shall have a proprietary interest in such Trust Issued Receipts.
(6) Trust Issued Receipts will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following criteria:
(A) Initial Listing — for each Trust, the Exchange will establish a minimum number of Trust Issued Receipts required to be outstanding at the time of the commencement of trading on the Exchange.
(B) Continued Listing — following the initial twelve month period following formation of a Trust and commencement of trading on the Exchange, the Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in or removal from listing of a Trust
upon which a series of Trust Issued Receipts is based under any of the following circumstances:
(i) if the Trust has more than 60 days remaining until termination and there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial holders of Trust Issued Receipts for 30 or more consecutive trading days;
(ii) if the Trust has fewer than 50,000 receipts issued and outstanding;
(iii) if the market value of all receipts issued and outstanding is less than $1 million; or
(iv) if such other event shall occur or condition exists which, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable.
Upon termination of a Trust, the Exchange requires that Trust Issued Receipts issued in connection with such Trust be removed from listing. A Trust may terminate in accordance with the provisions of the Trust prospectus, which may
provide for termination if the value of securities in the Trust falls below a specified amount.
(C) Term — the stated term of the Trust shall be as stated in the Trust prospectus. However, a Trust may be terminated under such earlier circumstances as may be specified in the Trust prospectus.
(D) Trustee — the following requirements apply:
(i) the trustee of a Trust must be a trust company or banking institution having substantial capital and surplus and the experience and facilities for handling corporate trust business. In cases where, for any reason, an individual
has been appointed as trustee, a qualified trust company or banking institution must be appointed co-trustee.
(ii) no change is to be made in the trustee of a listed issue without prior notice to and approval of the Exchange.
(E) Voting — voting rights shall be as set forth in the Trust prospectus.
(7) Unit of Trading — transactions in Trust Issued Receipts may only be made in round lots of 100 receipts or round lot multiples.
(8) The Exchange may approve a series of Trust Issued Receipts for listing and trading on the Exchange pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Act, provided each of the component securities satisfies the following criteria:
(A) each component security must be registered under Section 12 of the Act;
(B) each component security must have a minimum public float of at least $150 million;
(C) each component security must be listed on the Exchange or another national securities exchange;
(D) each component security must have an average daily trading volume of at least 100,000 shares during the preceding sixty-day trading period;
(E) each component security must have an average daily dollar value of shares traded during the preceding sixty-day trading period of at least $1 million; and
(F) the most heavily weighted component security may not initially represent more than 20% of the overall value of the Trust Issued Receipt.
(h) Securities Linked to the Performance of Indexes and Commodities (Including Currencies)
The Exchange will consider for listing and trading equity index-linked securities ("Equity Index-Linked Securities) and commodity-linked securities ("Commodity-Linked Securities" and, together with Equity Index-Linked Securities, "Linked Securities") that
in each case meet the applicable criteria of this Rule. Equity Index-Linked Securities are securities that provide for the payment at maturity of a cash amount based on the performance of an underlying equity index or indexes. The payment at maturity with
respect to Commodity-Linked Securities is based on one or more physical Commodities or Commodity futures, options or other Commodity derivatives, Commodity-Related Securities, or a basket or index of any of the foregoing (any such basis for payment is referred
to below as the "Reference Asset"). The terms "Commodity" and "Commodity-Related Security" are defined in Equity 10, Section 8.
Linked Securities may or may not provide for the repayment of the original principal investment amount. The Exchange may submit a rule filing pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to permit the listing and trading of Linked
Securities that do not otherwise meet the standards set forth below in paragraphs (1) through (12). The Exchange will consider Linked Securities for listing and trading pursuant to Rule 19b-4(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, provided:
(1) Both the issue and the issuer of such security meet the criteria for other securities set forth in paragraph (f) of this rule, except that if the security is traded in $1,000 denominations or is redeemable at the option of holders
thereof on at least a weekly basis, then no minimum number of holders and no minimum public distribution of trading units shall be required.
(2) The issue has a term of not less than one (1) year and not greater than thirty (30) years.
(3) The issue must be the non-convertible debt of the issuer.
(4) The payment at maturity may or may not provide for a multiple of the direct or inverse performance of an underlying index, indexes or Reference Asset; however, in no event will a loss (negative payment) at maturity be accelerated
by a multiple that exceeds twice the performance of an underlying index, indexes or Reference Asset.
(5) The issuer will be expected to have a minimum tangible net worth in excess of $250,000,000 and to exceed by at least 20% the earnings requirements set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this Rule. In the alternative, the issuer will
be expected: (i) to have a minimum tangible net worth of $150,000,000 and to exceed by at least 20% the earnings requirement set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this Rule, and (ii) not to have issued securities where the original issue price of all the issuer's
other index-linked note offerings (combined with index-linked note offerings of the issuer's affiliates) listed on a national securities exchange exceeds 25% of the issuer's net worth.
(6) The issuer is in compliance with Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
(7) Equity Index Criteria—In the case of an Equity Index-Linked Security, each underlying index is required to have at least ten (10) component securities. In addition, the index or indexes to which the security is linked shall either
(A) have been reviewed and approved for the trading of options or other derivatives by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the 1934 Act and rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order, including
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreements for non-U.S. stocks, continue to be satisfied, or
(B) the index or indexes meet the following criteria:
(i) Each component security has a minimum market value of at least $75 million, except that for each of the lowest weighted component securities in the index that in the aggregate account for no more than 10% of the weight of the
index, the market value can be at least $50 million;
(ii) Each component security shall have trading volume in each of the last six months of not less than 1,000,000 shares, except that for each of the lowest weighted component securities in the index that in the aggregate account
for no more than 10% of the weight of the index, the trading volume shall be at least 500,000 shares in each of the last six months;
(iii) Indexes based upon the equal-dollar or modified equal-dollar weighting method will be rebalanced at least semiannually;
(iv) In the case of a capitalization-weighted or modified capitalization-weighted index, the lesser of the five highest weighted component securities in the index or the highest weighted component securities in the index that in
the aggregate represent at least 30% of the total number of component securities in the index, each have an average monthly trading volume of at least 2,000,000 shares over the previous six months;
(v) No underlying component security will represent more than 25% of the weight of the index, and the five highest weighted component securities in the index do not in the aggregate account for more than 50% of the weight of the
index (60% for an index consisting of fewer than 25 component securities);
(vi) 90% of the index's numerical value and at least 80% of the total number of component securities will meet the then current criteria for standardized option trading on a national securities exchange or a national securities
association, provided, however, that an index will not be subject to this requirement if (a) no underlying component security represents more than 10% of the dollar weight of the index and (b) the index has a minimum of 20 components;
(vii) All component securities shall be either (A) securities (other than securities of a foreign issuer and American Depository Receipts ("ADRs")) that are (i) issued by a 1934 Act reporting company or by an investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that, in each case, has securities listed on a national securities exchange and (ii) an "NMS stock" (as defined in Rule 600 of SEC Regulation NMS) or (B) securities of a foreign issuer or ADRs, provided that
securities of a foreign issuer (including when they underlie ADRs) whose primary trading market outside the United States is not a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group ("ISG") or a party to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange
will not in the aggregate represent more than 20% of the dollar weight of the index.
(8) Reference Asset Criteria—In the case of a Commodity-Linked Security, the Reference Asset shall meet the criteria in either subparagraph (A) or subparagraph (B) below:
(A) The Reference Asset to which the security is linked shall have been reviewed and approved for the trading of Commodity-Related Securities or options or other derivatives by the Commission under Section 19(b)(2) of the 1934 Act
and rules thereunder and the conditions set forth in the Commission's approval order, including with respect to comprehensive surveillance sharing agreements, continue to be satisfied.
(B) The pricing information for each component of a Reference Asset other than a Currency must be derived from a market which is an ISG member or affiliate or with which the Exchange has a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
Notwithstanding the previous sentence, pricing information for gold and silver may be derived from the London Bullion Market Association. The pricing information for each component of a Reference Asset that is a Currency must be either (1) the generally accepted
spot price for the currency exchange rate in question or (2) derived from a market which (x) is an ISG member or affiliate or with which the Exchange has a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement and (y) is the pricing source for a currency component
of a Reference Asset that has previously been approved by the Commission. A Reference Asset may include components representing not more than 10% of the dollar weight of such Reference Asset for which the pricing information is derived from markets that do
not meet the requirements of this subparagraph (B), provided, however, that no single component subject to this exception exceeds 7% of the dollar weight of the Reference Asset. The term "Currency," as used in this subparagraph, shall mean one or more currencies,
or currency options, futures, or other currency derivatives, Commodity-Related Securities if their underlying Commodities are currencies or currency derivatives, or a basket or index of any of the foregoing.
(9) Maintenance and Dissemination—(i) If the index is maintained by a broker-dealer, the broker-dealer shall erect a "firewall" around the personnel who have access to information concerning changes and adjustments to the index and
the index shall be calculated by a third party who is not a broker-dealer. (ii) Unless the Commission order applicable under clause 7(A) or 8(A) hereof provides otherwise, the current value of the index or the Reference Asset (as applicable) will be widely
disseminated at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's regular market session, except as provided in the next clause (iii). (iii) The values of the following indexes need not be calculated and widely disseminated at least every 15 seconds if, after the
close of trading, the indicative value of the Equity Index-Linked Security based on one or more of such indexes is calculated and disseminated to provide an updated value: CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite Index(sm), CBOE DJIA Buy Write Index(sm), CBOE Nasdaq-100 BuyWrite
Index(sm). (iv) If the value of a Linked Security is based on more than one index, then the dissemination requirement of this paragraph 9 applies to the composite value of such indexes. (v) In the case of a Commodity-Linked Security that is periodically redeemable,
the indicative value of the subject Commodity-Linked Security must be calculated and widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors on at least a 15-second basis during the Exchange's regular market session.
(10) Trading Halts. In the case of Commodity-Linked Securities, if the indicative value (if required to be disseminated) or the Reference Asset value is not being disseminated as required, or, in the case of Equity Index-Linked Securities,
if the value of the index is not being disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day on which such interruption occurs. The Exchange will halt trading no later than the beginning of trading following the trading day when the interruption
commenced if such interruption persists at this time.
(11) Surveillance Procedures. FINRA will implement on behalf of the Exchange written surveillance procedures for Linked Securities. The Exchange will enter into adequate comprehensive surveillance sharing agreements for non-U.S.
securities, as applicable.
(12) Linked Securities will be treated as equity instruments. Furthermore, for the purpose of fee determination, Linked Securities shall be deemed and treated as Other Securities.
(i) FINRA
The Exchange and FINRA are parties to the FINRA Regulatory Contract pursuant to which FINRA has agreed to perform certain functions described in this Rule on behalf of the Exchange. Functions performed by FINRA, FINRA departments, and FINRA staff under Equity
3A, Section 2 are being performed by FINRA on behalf of the Exchange. Notwithstanding the fact that the Exchange has entered into the Regulatory Contract with FINRA to perform some of the Exchange's functions, the Exchange shall retain ultimate legal responsibility
for, and control of, such functions.
(j) Managed Fund Shares
(1) The Exchange will consider for trading, whether by listing or pursuant to unlisted trading privileges, Managed Fund Shares that meet the criteria of Equity 3A, Section 2(j).
(2) Applicability. Equity 3A, Section 2(j) is applicable only to Managed Fund Shares. Except to the extent inconsistent with Equity 3A, Section 2(j), or unless the context otherwise requires, the rules and procedures of the Board
of Directors shall be applicable to the trading on the Exchange of such securities. Managed Fund Shares are included within the definition of "security" or "securities" as such terms are used in the Equity Rules.
(A) The Exchange will file separate proposals under Section 19(b) of the Act before the listing of Managed Fund Shares. Trading of Managed Fund Shares on an unlisted trading privileges basis shall be governed by Equity 3A, Section
3.
(B) Transactions in Managed Fund Shares will occur throughout the Exchange's trading hours.
(C) Minimum Price Variance. The minimum price variation for quoting and entry of orders in Managed Fund Shares is $0.01.
(D) Surveillance Procedures. The Exchange will implement written surveillance procedures for Managed Fund Shares.
(E) Creation and Redemption. For Managed Fund Shares based on an international or global portfolio, the statutory prospectus or the application for exemption from provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for the series of
Managed Fund Shares must state that such series must comply with the federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted for deposits and the securities
used to satisfy redemption requests are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933.
(3) Definitions. The following terms as used in the Rules shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings herein specified:
(A) Managed Fund Share. The term "Managed Fund Share" means a security that (a) represents an interest in a registered investment company ("Investment Company") organized as an open-end management investment company or similar entity,
that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by the Investment Company's investment adviser consistent with the Investment Company's investment objectives and policies; (b) is issued in a specified aggregate minimum number in return for a deposit of
a specified portfolio of securities and/or a cash amount with a value equal to the next determined net asset value; and (c) when aggregated in the same specified minimum number, may be redeemed at a holder's request, which holder will be paid a specified portfolio
of securities and/or cash with a value equal to the next determined net asset value.
(B) Disclosed Portfolio. The term "Disclosed Portfolio" means the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Investment Company that will form the basis for the Investment Company's calculation of net
asset value at the end of the business day.
(C) Intraday Indicative Value. The term "Intraday Indicative Value" is the estimated indicative value of a Managed Fund Share based on current information regarding the value of the securities and other assets in the Disclosed Portfolio.
(D) Reporting Authority. The term "Reporting Authority" in respect of a particular series of Managed Fund Shares means the Exchange, an institution, or a reporting service designated by the Exchange or by the exchange that lists
a particular series of Managed Fund Shares (if the Exchange is trading such series pursuant to unlisted trading privileges) as the official source for calculating and reporting information relating to such series, including, but not limited to, the Intraday
Indicative Value; the Disclosed Portfolio; the amount of any cash distribution to holders of Managed Fund Shares, net asset value, or other information relating to the issuance, redemption or trading of Managed Fund Shares. A series of Managed Fund Shares
may have more than one Reporting Authority, each having different functions.
(4) Initial and Continued Listing — Managed Fund Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following criteria:
(A) Initial Listing — Each series of Managed Fund Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following initial listing criteria:
(i) For each series, the Exchange will establish a minimum number of Managed Fund Shares required to be outstanding at the time of commencement of trading on the Exchange.
(ii) Nasdaq will obtain a representation from the issuer of each series of Managed Fund Shares that the net asset value per share for the series will be calculated daily and that the net asset value and the Disclosed Portfolio will
be made available to all market participants at the same time.
(B) Continued Listing — Each series of Managed Fund Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange subject to application of the following continued listing criteria:
(i) Intraday Indicative Value. The Intraday Indicative Value for Managed Fund Shares will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the time when the Managed Fund Shares trade
on the Exchange.
(ii) Disclosed Portfolio.
(a) The Disclosed Portfolio will be disseminated at least once daily and will be made available to all market participants at the same time.
(b) The Reporting Authority that provides the Disclosed Portfolio must implement and maintain, or be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the actual components
of the portfolio.
(iii) Suspension of trading or removal. The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in or removal from listing of a series of Managed Fund Shares under any of the following circumstances:
(a) if, following the initial twelve-month period after commencement of trading on the Exchange of a series of Managed Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the series of Managed Fund Shares for 30 or more consecutive
trading days;
(b) if the value of the Intraday Indicative Value is no longer calculated or available or the Disclosed Portfolio is not made available to all market participants at the same time;
(c) if the Investment Company issuing the Managed Fund Shares has failed to file any filings required by the Commission or if the Exchange is aware that the Investment Company is not in compliance with the conditions of any exemptive
order or no-action relief granted by the Commission to the Investment Company with respect to the series of Managed Fund Shares; or
(d) if such other event shall occur or condition exists which, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on Nasdaq inadvisable.
(iv) Trading Halt. If the Intraday Indicative Value of a series of Managed Fund Shares is not being disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day in which the interruption to the dissemination of the Intraday
Indicative Value occurs. If the interruption to the dissemination of the Intraday Indicative Value persists past the trading day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading no later than the beginning of the trading day following the interruption.
If a series of Managed Fund Shares is trading on the Exchange pursuant to unlisted trading privileges, the Exchange will halt trading in that series as specified in Rules 4120 and 4121. In addition, if the Exchange becomes aware that the net asset value or
the Disclosed Portfolio with respect to a series of Managed Fund Shares is not disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it will halt trading in such series until such time as the net asset value or the Disclosed Portfolio is available to all
market participants.
(v) Termination. Upon termination of an Investment Company, the Exchange requires that Managed Fund Shares issued in connection with such entity be removed from listing on the Exchange.
(vi) Voting. Voting rights shall be as set forth in the applicable Investment Company prospectus.
(5) Limitation of Liability. Neither the Exchange, the Reporting Authority, nor any agent of the Exchange shall have any liability for damages, claims, losses or expenses caused by any errors, omissions, or delays in calculating
or disseminating any current portfolio value; the current value of the portfolio of securities required to be deposited to the open-end management investment company in connection with issuance of Managed Fund Shares; the amount of any dividend equivalent
payment or cash distribution to holders of Managed Fund Shares; net asset value; or other information relating to the purchase, redemption, or trading of Managed Fund Shares, resulting from any negligent act or omission by the Exchange, the Reporting Authority
or any agent of the Exchange, or any act, condition, or cause beyond the reasonable control of the Exchange, its agent, or the Reporting Authority, including, but not limited to, an act of God; fire; flood; extraordinary weather conditions; war; insurrection;
riot; strike; accident; action of government; communications or power failure; equipment or software malfunction; or any error, omission, or delay in the reports of transactions in one or more underlying securities.
(6) Disclosures. The provisions of this subparagraph apply only to series of Managed Fund Shares that are the subject of an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission exempting such series from certain prospectus delivery requirements
under Section 24(d) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and are not otherwise subject to prospectus delivery requirements under the Securities Act of 1933. The Exchange will inform its members regarding application of these provisions of this subparagraph
to a particular series of Managed Fund Shares by means of an information circular prior to commencement of trading in such series.
The Exchange requires that members provide to all purchasers of a series of Managed Fund Shares a written description of the terms and characteristics of those securities, in a form prepared by the open-end management investment
company issuing such securities, not later than the time a confirmation of the first transaction in such series is delivered to such purchaser. In addition, members shall include such a written description with any sales material relating to a series of Managed
Fund Shares that is provided to customers or the public. Any other written materials provided by a member to customers or the public making specific reference to a series of Managed Fund Shares as an investment vehicle must include a statement in substantially
the following form: "A circular describing the terms and characteristics of (the series of Managed Fund Shares) has been prepared by the (open-end management investment company name) and is available from your broker. It is recommended that you obtain and
review such circular before purchasing (the series of Managed Fund Shares)"
A member carrying an omnibus account for a non-member broker-dealer is required to inform such non-member that execution of an order to purchase a series of Managed Fund Shares for such omnibus account will be deemed to constitute
agreement by the non-member to make such written description available to its customers on the same terms as are directly applicable to members under this rule.
Upon request of a customer, a member shall also provide a prospectus for the particular series of Managed Fund Shares.
(7) If the investment adviser to the Investment Company issuing Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall erect a "fire wall" between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer with respect
to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such Investment Company portfolio. Personnel who make decisions on the Investment Company's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination
of material nonpublic information regarding the applicable Investment Company portfolio.
1 The two percent limit, based on 20 percent of the worldwide trading volume in the non-U.S. security or sponsored
ADR, applies only if there is a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement in place with the primary exchange in the country where the security is primarily traded (in the case of an ADR, the primary exchange on which the security underlying the ADR is traded).
If there is no such agreement, subparagraph (3) above requires that the combined trading volume of such security and other related securities occurring in the U.S. market represents (on a share equivalent basis for any ADRs) at least 50% of the combined world-wide
trading volume in such security, other related securities, and other classes of common stock related to such security over the six month period preceding the date of listing.
Adopted Apr. 27, 2021 (SR-BX-2021-012).