e8-12624

FR Doc E8-12624[Federal Register: June 5, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 109)]

[Notices]

[Page 31981-31983]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr05jn08-30]

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COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION

Order Exempting the Trading and Clearing of Certain Products

Related to SPDR[reg] Gold Trust Shares

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

ACTION: Final Order.

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SUMMARY: On April 23rd, 2008, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission

(``CFTC'' or the ``Commission'') published for public comment in the

Federal Register \1\ a proposal to exempt the trading and clearing of

products called options on streetTRACKS [supreg] Gold Trust Shares

(``ST Gold Options''), proposed to be traded on national securities

exchanges, and cleared by The Options Clearing Corporation (``OCC''),

from the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA'') \2\ and

Commission regulations thereunder to the extent necessary for them to

be so traded and cleared. The Commission has determined to issue this

Order essentially as proposed. Authority for this exemption is found in

Section 4(c) of the CEA.\3\

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\1\ 73 FR 21917 (April 23, 2008)

\2\ 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.

\3\ 7 U.S.C. 6(c).

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DATES: Effective Date: May 30, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert B. Wasserman, Associate

Director, 202-418-5092, [email protected], Division of Clearing and

Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three

Lafayette Centre, 1151 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

The OCC is both a Derivatives Clearing Organization (``DCO'')

registered pursuant to Section 5b of the CEA,\4\ and a securities

clearing agency registered pursuant to Section 17A of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934 (``the '34 Act'').\5\

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\4\ 7 U.S.C. 7a-1.

\5\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-l.

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OCC filed with the CFTC, pursuant to Section 5c(c) of the CEA and

Commission Regulations 39.4(a) and 40.5 thereunder,\6\ requests for

approval of rules and rule amendments that would enable OCC to clear

and settle ST Gold Options \7\ traded on national securities exchanges

in its capacity as a registered securities clearing agency regulated by

the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'') (and not in its

capacity as a DCO).\8\ Section 5c(c)(3) provides that the CFTC must

approve any such rules and rule amendments submitted for approval

unless it finds that the rules or rule amendments would violate the

CEA.

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\6\ 7 U.S.C. 7a-2(c), 17 CFR 39.4(a), 40.5.

\7\ streetTRACKS[supreg] Gold Trust Shares, which underlie ST

Gold Options, are described in greater detail in the ``Proposed

Exemptive Order for ST Gold Futures Contracts,'' 73 FR 13867, 13868

(March 14, 2008). On May 20, 2008, streetTRACKS[supreg] Gold Trust

Shares were renamed SPDR[reg] Gold Trust Shares. See

Prospectus for SPDR[reg] Gold Trust, available at http://

www.spdrgoldshares.com/pdf/SPDRGoldTrustProspectus.pdf (reviewed May

22, 2008).

\8\ The request for approval concerning the ST Gold Options was

filed effective February 4, 2008, and Amendment No. 1 thereto was

filed effective March 7, 2008. See SR-OCC-2008-04 and Amendment No.

1. OCC has also filed these proposed rule changes with the SEC. See

SEC Release No. 34-57695; File No. SR-OCC-2008-07 (April 21, 2008),

73 FR 22452 (April 25, 2008). On May 22, 2008, OCC filed Amendment

No. 2 to the request for approval, reflecting the change in the name

of streetTRACKS[supreg] Gold Trust Shares.

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II. Section 4(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act

Section 4(c)(1) of the CEA empowers the CFTC to ``promote

responsible economic or financial innovation and fair competition'' by

exempting any transaction or class of transactions from any of the

provisions of the CEA (subject to exceptions not relevant here) where

the Commission determines that the exemption would be consistent with

the public interest. The Commission may grant such an exemption by

rule, regulation or order, after notice and opportunity for hearing,

and may do so on application of any person or on its own initiative.

In enacting Section 4(c), Congress noted that the goal of the

provision ``is to give the Commission a means of providing certainty

and stability to existing and emerging markets so that financial

innovation and market development can proceed in an effective and

competitive manner.'' \9\ Permitting ST Gold Options to trade on

national securities exchanges and be cleared on OCC as discussed above

appears likely to foster both financial innovation and competition. In

accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding entered into between

the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'') on March

11, 2008, and in particular the addendum thereto concerning Principles

Governing the Review of Novel Derivative Products, the Commission

believes that novel derivative products that implicate areas of

overlapping regulatory concern should be permitted to trade in either

or both a CFTC- or SEC-regulated environment, in a manner consistent

with laws and regulations (including the appropriate use of all

available exemptive and interpretive authority).

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\9\ House Conf. Report No. 102-978, 1992 U.S.C.C.A.N. 3179, 3213

(``4(c) Conf. Report'').

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ST Gold Options are novel instruments and, given their potential

usefulness to the market, the Commission believes that this is an

appropriate case for issuing an exemption without making a finding as

to the nature of these particular instruments.

Section 4(c)(2) provides that the Commission may grant exemptions

only when it determines that the requirements for which an exemption is

being provided should not be applied to the agreements, contracts or

transactions at issue, and the exemption is consistent with the public

interest and the purposes of the CEA; that the agreements, contracts or

transactions will be entered into solely between appropriate persons;

and that the exemption will not have a material adverse effect on the

ability of the Commission or any contract market or derivatives

transaction execution facility to discharge its regulatory or self-

regulatory responsibilities under the CEA.

In the April 23, 2008 Federal Register Release, the Commission

requested public comment on the matters discussed above and all issues

raised by its proposed exemptive order. No comments were received.

[[Page 31982]]

III. Findings and Conclusions

After considering the complete record in this matter, the

Commission has determined that the requirements of Section 4(c) have

been met. First, the exemption is consistent with the public interest

and with the purposes of the CEA, including ``promot[ing] responsible

innovation and fair competition among boards of trade, other markets

and market participants.'' \10\ It appears to be consistent with these

and the other purposes of the CEA, with the public interest, with the

CFTC-SEC Memorandum of Understanding of March 11, 2008, and with the

addendum thereto, for the mode of trading of these transactions--

whether it is to be through CFTC-regulated markets and clearing

organizations or SEC-regulated markets and clearing agencies--to be

determined by competitive market forces.

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\10\ CEA Section 3(b), 7 U.S.C. 5(b).

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Second, the ST Gold Options will be entered into solely between

appropriate persons. Section 4(c)(3) includes within the term

``appropriate persons'' a number of specified categories of persons,

but also in subparagraph (K), ``such other persons that the Commission

determines to be appropriate in light of * * * the applicability of

appropriate regulatory protections.'' National securities exchanges,

OCC and broker-dealers who will intermediate transactions in ST Gold

Options are subject to extensive and detailed oversight by the SEC and,

in the case of the intermediaries, the securities self-regulatory

organizations. Given that the products will be traded on national

securities exchanges, the regulatory protections available under the

securities laws, and the goal of promoting fair competition, the ST

Gold Options will be traded by appropriate persons.

Third, the exemption would not have a material adverse effect on

the ability of the Commission or any designated contract market to

carry out their regulatory responsibilities under the CEA. There is no

reason to believe that granting an exemption here would interfere with

the Commission's or a designated contract market's ability to oversee

the trading of similar products or otherwise carry out their duties.

Therefore, upon due consideration, pursuant to its authority under

Section 4(c) of the CEA, the Commission hereby issues this Order and

exempts the trading of ST Gold Options on national securities exchanges

and clearing of ST Gold Options by OCC in its capacity as a registered

securities clearing agency from the CEA and the Commission's

Regulations thereunder to the extent necessary to permit them to be so

traded and cleared.

This Order is subject to termination or revision, on a prospective

basis, if the Commission determines upon further information that this

exemption is not consistent with the public interest. If the Commission

believes such exemption becomes detrimental to the public interest, the

Commission may revoke this Order on its own motion.

IV. Related Matters

A. Paperwork Reduction Act

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA'') \11\ imposes certain

requirements on federal agencies (including the Commission) in

connection with their conducting or sponsoring any collection of

information as defined by the PRA. The exemptive order will not require

a new collection of information from any entities.

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\11\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(d).

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B. Cost-Benefit Analysis

Section 15(a) of the CEA, as amended by Section 119 of the

Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (``CFMA''),\12\ requires

the Commission to consider the costs and benefits of its action before

issuing an order under the CEA. By its terms, Section 15(a) as amended

does not require the Commission to quantify the costs and benefits of

an order or to determine whether the benefits of the order outweigh its

costs. Rather, Section 15(a) simply requires the Commission to

``consider the costs and benefits'' of its action.

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\12\ 7 U.S.C. 19(a).

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Section 15(a) of the CEA further specifies that costs and benefits

shall be evaluated in light of five broad areas of market and public

concern: protection of market participants and the public; efficiency,

competitiveness, and financial integrity of futures markets; price

discovery; sound risk management practices; and other public interest

considerations. Accordingly, the Commission could in its discretion

give greater weight to any one of the five enumerated areas and could

in its discretion determine that, notwithstanding its costs, a

particular order was necessary or appropriate to protect the public

interest or to effectuate any of the provisions or to accomplish any of

the purposes of the CEA.

The Commission has considered the costs and benefits of the order

in light of the specific provisions of Section 15(a) of the CEA, as

follows:

1. Protection of market participants and the public. National

securities exchanges, OCC and their members who will intermediate ST

Gold Options are subject to extensive regulatory oversight.

2. Efficiency, competition, and financial integrity. The exemptive

order appears likely to enhance market efficiency and competition since

it could encourage potential trading of ST Gold Options on markets

other than designated contract markets or derivative transaction

execution facilities. Financial integrity will not be affected since

the ST Gold Options will be cleared by OCC, a DCO and SEC-registered

clearing agency, and intermediated by SEC-registered broker-dealers.

3. Price discovery. Price discovery may be enhanced through market

competition.

4. Sound risk management practices. The ST Gold Options will be

subject to OCC's current risk-management practices including its

margining system.

5. Other public interest considerations. The exemptive order

appears likely to encourage development of derivative products through

market competition without unnecessary regulatory burden.

The Commission requested comment on its application of these

factors in the proposing release. No comments were received.

After considering these factors, the Commission has determined to

issue this Order.

Issued in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2008 by the Commission.

David A. Stawick,

Secretary of the Commission.

Dissenting in Part and Concurring in Part to Exemptive Order Under

Section 4(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) To Exempt Certain

Products Related to SPDR [supreg] Gold Trust Shares Traded on a

National Securities Exchange and Cleared by the Options Clearing

Corporation (OCC) From Provisions of the CEA, and Approval of OCC's

Request for Approval of Rules

I applaud the agencies' efforts today to enhance cooperation and

coordination in approving innovative and novel products. I respectfully

dissent, however, from the Commission's issuance of the above-

referenced order. In the promulgation of such an exemptive order in

furtherance of the approval process, I believe the Commission should

have adequate basis

[[Page 31983]]

for confidence that the Securities and Exchange Commission will

similarly fully exercise its broad statutory exemptive authority under

the securities laws to permit futures exchanges to trade products that

are economically equivalent to those that are or may be approved for

trading on national securities exchanges, and to allow derivatives

clearing organizations to clear such products, to ensure that the

futures markets are not competitively disadvantaged with regard to such

products. I dissent from today's action, because I do not believe this

exemptive order provides sufficient basis for or assurance of such

reciprocity in the future. Given the issuance of today's orders, I

concur in the approval of the Options Clearing Corporation's above-

referenced request for approval of rules.

Bart Chilton,

Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

[FR Doc. E8-12624 Filed 6-4-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6351-01-P

Last Updated: June 5, 2008