Correspondence 0001829126-24-004130 from TCW ETF Trust (CIK 0001831313)
TCW ETF Trust (CIK 0001831313)
Date: June 12, 2024 · CIK: 0001831313 · Accession: 0001829126-24-004130
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File numbers found in text: 333-249926, 811-23617
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ROPES &
GRAY LLP
PRUDENTIAL
TOWER
800 BOYLSTON
STREET
BOSTON,
MA 02199-3600
WWW.ROPESGRAY.COM
June 12, 2024
Kelsey Barrett
T +1 617 951 7183
Kelsey.barrett@ropesgray.com
VIA EDGAR
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Investment Management
100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549
Attn: Seamus O’Brien
Re:
TCW ETF Trust (the “Trust”) (File Nos. 333-249926 and 811-23617)
Dear Mr. O’Brien:
We are writing to respond to the comments of the staff (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) that you provided telephonically on Thursday, May 23, 2024, regarding Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 to the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A (the “Registration Statement”) relating to TCW Flexible Income ETF, TCW Senior Loan ETF, TCW Investment Grade Credit ETF, TCW High Yield Bond ETF, TCW AAA CLO ETF, and TCW Multisector Credit Income ETF (each a “Fund,” and together, the “Funds”), which was filed with the Commission on April 8, 2024. The Staff’s comments are summarized below, and each is followed by the Trust’s response. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Registration Statement.
General
1.
Comment: Where a comment is made with respect to disclosure in one location, it is applicable to all similar disclosure appearing elsewhere in the Registration Statement.
Response: The Trust acknowledges the Staff’s comment.
2.
Comment: We note that portions of the Registration Statement are incomplete. Please confirm that all bracketed language and any placeholders will be filled in prior to effectiveness.
Response: The Trust so confirms.
3.
Comment: Please confirm the expected timing of the Prospectus/Information Statement on Form N-14 filing with respect to all the Funds other than TCW Flexible Income ETF.
Response: The Trust expects to file registration statements on Form N-14 for all Funds other than TCW Flexible Income ETF on or about June 12, 2024.
- 2 - June 12, 2024
TCW Flexible Income ETF
4.
Comment: The Staff notes that the first paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section provides that “[d]uration is a measure that is used to determine the price sensitivity of a fixed income security to changes in interest rates.” Please consider adding a similar explanation for “maturity” in the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies section.
Response: The Trust confirms that the requested change has been made. The Principal Investment Strategies section will be revised to read as follows:
The Fund may invest in securities of any maturity, and there is no limit on the weighted average maturity of the Fund’s portfolio. Maturity refers to the date when a bond’s principal is repaid with interest. The Fund does not have a duration target. However, under normal circumstances, the average portfolio duration varies from zero to eight years. Duration is a measure that is used to determine the price sensitivity of a fixed income security to changes in interest rates.
5.
Comment: The Staff notes that the second paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section includes disclosure that the Fund will invest in bank loans, private placements, and restricted securities. If investments in bank loans, private placements and restricted securities are part of the Fund’s principal investment strategies, please include corresponding risk disclosure. If investments in bank loans, private placements or restricted securities are not part of the Fund’s principal investment strategies, please consider removing such disclosure from the Summary Prospectus.
Response: With respect to investments in bank loans, the Trust confirms that Bank Loan Risk is included as a principal risk of the Fund. With respect to investments in private placement securities and restricted securities, the Trust confirms that Liquidity Risk and Price Volatility Risk, which the Trust believes are the chief risks presented by investments in such securities, are included as principal risks of the Fund. The Trust believes that its current risk disclosure meets the requirements of Item 4(b) of Form N-1A. However, in response to the Staff’s comment, the Trust will add Private Placement and Restricted Securities Risk in connection with the next annual update to its registration statement. In addition, also in response to the Staff’s comment, the Trust will revisit Senior Loan Risk in connection with the next annual update to its registration statement and consider further enhancements thereto.
6.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the second paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that “[t]he Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets (measured at the time of investment) in asset-backed and mortgage-related securities rated below investment grade by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.” Please consider providing examples of asset-backed securities (in addition to mortgage-related securities).
Response: The Trust respectfully notes that, in the same paragraph, the disclosure provides such examples, stating that investments in the Fund include various types of bonds and debt securities, including asset-backed securities “including collateralized debt obligations, which in turn include collateralized bond obligations and collateralized loan obligations.”
- 3 - June 12, 2024
7.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the third paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that the Fund may be invested in “emerging markets and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.” Please consider providing an explanation of what an emerging market is and examples of instruments that are economically tied to emerging markets in the summary prospectus.
Response: The Trust respectfully notes that the following disclosure is included in the Fund’s statutory prospectus:
The Fund considers emerging market countries to include all of the countries in the J.P. Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified, the J.P. Morgan Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index (CEMBI) Broad Diversified, the J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM), the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. Instruments considered to be economically tied to emerging market countries are (i) those that are principally traded in an emerging market country, or (ii) those that are issued by: (a) an issuer organized under the laws of or maintaining a principal place of business in an emerging market country, (b) an issuer that derives or is expected to derive 50% or more of its total revenues, earnings or profits from business activity in an emerging market country, or that maintains or is expected to maintain 50% or more of its employees, assets, investments or operations in an emerging market country, or (c) a governmental or quasi-governmental entity of an emerging market country.
The Trust believes that its current disclosure meets the requirements of Items 4(a) and 9(b) of Form N-1A.
8.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the fifth paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that the Fund may invest “up to 20% of its total assets in a combination of convertible bonds, preferred stock, and common stock of domestic and foreign companies.” If convertible bonds, preferred stock and common stock are part of the Fund’s principal investment strategies, please include corresponding risk disclosure. If investments in convertible bonds, preferred stock and common stock are not part of the Fund’s principal investment strategies, please consider removing such disclosure from the Summary Prospectus.
Response: With respect to preferred stock and common stock, the Trust confirms that Equity Securities Risk, Credit Risk and Liquidity Risk, which the Trust believes address the chief risks presented by such securities, are included as principal risks of the Fund. With respect to convertible bonds, the Trust confirms that Debt Securities Risk and Liquidity Risk, which the Trust believes address the chief risks presented by such securities, are included are principal risks of the Fund. The Trust believes that its current risk disclosure meets the requirements of Item 4(b) of Form N-1A. However, in response to the Staff’s comment, the Trust will add Preferred Securities Risk and Convertible Securities Risk in connection with the next annual update to its registration statement.
9.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the last paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that “[t]he types of derivative instruments in which the Fund will principally invest are primarily currency and other futures, forward contracts, options, and swap agreements (typically interest rate swaps, index-linked swaps, total return swaps and credit default swaps).” If the Fund will be writing options on credit default swaps as part of its principal investment strategy, please include corresponding risk disclosure.
Response: The Trust confirms that the Fund will not be writing options on credit default swaps as part of its principal investment strategy.
- 4 - June 12, 2024
10.
Comment: With regard to Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk in the Principal Investment Risks section, the disclosure states that “[d]istressed and defaulted securities risk is the risk that the repayment of defaulted securities and obligations of distressed issuers is subject to significant uncertainties.” Please consider adding additional risk disclosure identifying the types of uncertainties in the noted risk factor.
Response: The Trust believes that its current risk disclosure meets the requirements of Item 4(b) of Form N-1A. However, in response to the Staff’s comment, the Trust will supplement Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk to identify the types of uncertainties in the noted risk factor in connection with the next annual update to its registration statement.
Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk. Distressed and defaulted securities risk is the risk that the repayment of defaulted securities and obligations of distressed issuers is subject to significant uncertainties. A security held by the Fund may default, or the issuer of the security may become distressed, after the Fund’s investment. In addition, the Fund’s investments may be distressed or defaulted at the time of investment. Because the issuer of such securities is in default and/or in distressed financial condition, repayment of defaulted securities and obligations of distressed issuers is uncertain. To the extent that the Fund is invested in distressed or defaulted securities, its ability to generate current income for its shareholders may be diminished. The Fund is also subject to significant uncertainty as to when, in what manner and for what value the obligations evidenced by the distressed or defaulted securities will eventually be satisfied, and the Fund may lose its entire investment or be required to accept cash or securities with a lesser value than its original investment.
With respect to TCW Flexible Income ETF, the Trust believes that its current risk disclosure meets the requirements of Item 4(b) of Form N-1A. However, in response to the Staff’s comment, the Trust will make the above revision in connection with the next annual update to its registration statement.
11.
Comment: With regard to Equity Securities Risk in the Principal Investment Risks section, the disclosure states that “[e]quity securities are subject to changes in value, and their values may be more volatile than those of other asset classes.” Please consider adding additional risk disclosure related to convertible instruments under Equity Securities Risk or add a separate risk factor in the Principal Investment Risks section.
Response: See Comment 8 above.
- 5 - June 12, 2024
TCW Senior Loan ETF
12.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the first paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that “[t]he Fund will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in senior secured floating rate investments and in investments that are the economic equivalent of senior secured floating rate loans, in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).” Please consider providing a brief explanation for senior debt.
Response: The Trust confirms that the requested change has been made. The Principal Investment Strategies section will be revised to read as follows:
The Fund will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in senior secured floating rate investments and in investments that are the economic equivalent of senior secured floating rate loans, in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). These economically equivalent investments may include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following items: (i) senior secured floating rate bank loans or debt; (ii) fixed-rate loans or debt, such as corporate bonds, preferred securities, convertible securities, mezzanine investments, collateralized loan obligations, senior loans, structured products and U.S. government debt securities, with respect to which the Fund has entered into derivative instruments that have the effect of converting the fixed-rate interest payments into floating-rate interest payments; and (iii) written credit derivatives, which would give the Fund exposure to the credit of a single issuer or an index. Senior debt is debt that takes priority over other unsecured or otherwise more “junior” debt owed by an issuer. Senior debt is frequently issued in the form of senior notes or referred to as senior loans.
13.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the first paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that “[t]hese economically equivalent investments may include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following items. . .preferred securities, convertible securities, mezzanine investments. . .” Please confirm that preferred securities, convertible securities and mezzanine investments will not be included in the 80% policy as these investments are not “senior” debt.
Response: The Trust confirms that the requested change has been made. The Principal Investment Strategies section will be revised to read as follows:
These economically equivalent investments may include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following items: (i) senior secured floating rate bank loans or debt; (ii) fixed-rate loans or debt, such as corporate bonds, preferred securities, convertible notes securities, mezzanine investments, collateralized loan obligations, senior loans, structured products and U.S. government debt securities, with respect to which the Fund has entered into derivative instruments that have the effect of converting the fixed-rate interest payments into floating-rate interest payments; and (iii) written credit derivatives, which would give the Fund exposure to the credit of a single issuer or an index.
- 6 - June 12, 2024
14.
Comment: The Staff notes that in the first paragraph of the Principal Investment Strategies section, the disclosure states that “[t]hese economically equivalent investments may include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following items. . . written credit derivatives, which would give the Fund exposure to the credit of a single issuer or an index.” If the Fund will be issuing