5. INVESTMENTS

As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company’s investments were comprised of the following (in millions):


	June 30,		December 31,
	2018		2017
Equity Method:
Investment in Signal Trading Systems, LLC	$	14.1	$	12.5
Investment in EuroCCP		10.3		9.6
Total equity method investments		24.4		22.1

Other Equity Investments:
Investment in OCC		30.3		30.3
Investment in Eris Exchange Holdings, LLC		20.0		20.0
Investment in American Financial Exchange, LLC		5.9		5.9
Other		8.1		4.4
Total other equity investments		64.3		60.6

Total investments	$	88.7	$	82.7

Equity Method

Equity method investments include investments in Signal Trading Systems, LLC ("Signal"), a joint venture with FlexTrade System, Inc. to develop and market a multi-asset front-end order entry system, and EuroCCP, a Dutch domiciled clearing house. EuroCCP is one of three interoperable central counterparties, or CCPs, used to clear trades conducted on Cboe Europe Equities’ markets. Cboe Europe Equities owns 20% of EuroCCP and can exercise significant influence over the entity as an equal shareholder with four other investors.

Other Equity Investments

The carrying amount of other equity investments totaled $64.3 million as of June 30, 2018 and $60.6 million as of December 31, 2017, and is included in investments in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company accounts for these investments using the measurement alternative primarily as a result of the Company’s inability to exercise significant influence as the Company is a smaller shareholder of these investments and the lack of readily determinable fair values. As of June 30, 2018, other equity investments primarily reflect a 20% investment in OCC and minority investments in American Financial Exchange, CurveGlobal and Eris Exchange Holdings, LLC.

In December 2014, OCC announced a newly-formed capital plan. The OCC capital plan was designed to strengthen OCC’s capital base and facilitate its compliance with proposed SEC regulations for Systemically Important Financial Market Utilities ("SIFMUs") as well as international standards applicable to financial market infrastructures. On February 26, 2015, the SEC issued a notice of no objection to OCC’s advance notice filing regarding the capital plan, and OCC and OCC’s existing exchange stockholders, which include Cboe Options, subsequently executed agreements effecting the capital plan. Under the plan, each of OCC’s existing exchange stockholders agreed to contribute its pro-rata share, based on ownership percentage, of $150 million in equity capital, which would increase OCC’s shareholders’ equity, and to provide its pro rata share in replenishment capital, up to a maximum of $40 million per exchange stockholder, if certain capital thresholds are breached. OCC also adopted policies under the plan with respect to fees, customer refunds, and stockholder dividends, which envision an annual dividend payment to the exchange stockholders equal to the portion of OCC’s after-tax income that exceeds OCC’s capital requirements after payment of refunds to OCC’s clearing members (with such customer refunds generally to constitute 50% of the portion of OCC’s pre-tax income that exceeds OCC’s capital requirements). On March 3, 2015, in accordance with the plan, Cboe Options contributed $30 million to OCC. That contribution has been recorded under investments in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

On March 6, 2015, OCC informed Cboe Options that the SEC, acting through delegated authority, had approved OCC's proposed rule filing for the capital plan. Following petitions to review the approval based on delegated authority, the SEC conducted its own review and then approved the proposed rule change implementing OCC's capital plan. Certain petitioners subsequently appealed the SEC approval order for the OCC capital plan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and moved to stay the SEC approval order. On February 23, 2016, the Court denied the petitioners' motion to stay. On August 8, 2017, the Court held that the SEC’s approval order lacked reasoned decision-making sufficient to support the SEC’s conclusion that the OCC capital plan complied with applicable statutory requirements. The Court declined to vacate the SEC’s approval order or to require the unwinding of actions taken under the OCC capital plan, but instead remanded the matter to the SEC for further proceedings concerning whether that capital plan complies with those statutory requirements. Petitioners requested a stay of dividend payments to the exchange stockholders until the SEC made a final decision about the OCC capital plan, but the SEC denied that request on September 14, 2017. The SEC allowed for and received information from interested parties for the SEC’s consideration in connection with its review of the OCC capital plan on remand from the Court. The SEC’s review of the OCC capital plan on remand from the Court remains pending.