Subject: Release No. 34-79474; File No. SR-CHX-2016-20
From: John R. Prufeta
Affiliation: CEO & Chairman, Medical Excellence International, LLC

September 11, 2017

 Dear Commissioners of the SEC:

I write to you regarding the matter of the purchase of the Chicago Stock Exchange by Casin et al and US investors. I fully support approval of the sale as I think it is a meaningful step forward in accessing significant commerce between companies in the US and China - and doing so under the strong protection of US rule of law. As a former CEO of a publicly-held company, I understand well the significant meaning of a revitalized CHX. Our trading platforms in the United States are without question quite attractive for a number of reasons, not the least of which are transparency, rule of law, liquidity and financial innovation. Also true is that the CHX is under-utilized, with less than 1% of the current trading volume in the US. This transaction will attract new business from not only the US and China, but also from other nations in Asia. I believe the purchase will result in a more positive business climate between the Chinese and US private sectors, with a great additional positive that the regulatory oversight will come from the highly-regarded and tough US Securities and Exchange Commission.  Further, I also believe the purchase will spur public companies in China to list on an American exchange, with all of the accounting and transparency rules inherent in a US exchange listing. This purchase has been already approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) via the Director of National Intelligence to ensure the investors are free of any foreign government influence. This is the same government agency that has turned down several high-profile purchases in the recent past because those investors could not pass the tough scrutiny of CFIUS. I see that all investors and proposed Board Members have been thusly vetted. The US Chamber of Commerce in China, representing over 2200 US businesses in China has written in support of the transaction, stating clearly that the transaction will benefit the United States. 

Careful steps must be taken to preserve the US well-deserved position as the No. 1 business capital of the world. This is one of them. Kindly approve the sale. 

Respectfully submitted,

John Prufeta

 

John R. Prufeta | CEO & Chairman
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Medical Excellence International, LLC