Investments

The following table presents the details of our investments:



	March 31, 2017		December 31, 2016
	(in millions)
Trading securities	$	203	$	228
Available-for-sale investment securities	17		17
Equity method investments	128		124
Cost method investments	145		144

Trading Securities

Trading securities, which are included in financial investments, at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, are primarily comprised of highly rated European government debt securities, of which $154 million as of March 31, 2017 and $172 million as of December 31, 2016, are assets utilized to meet regulatory capital requirements primarily for our clearing operations at Nasdaq Clearing.

Available-for-Sale Investment Securities

Available-for-sale investment securities, which are included in financial investments, at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, are primarily comprised of short-term certificates of deposit. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the cumulative unrealized gains and losses on these securities were immaterial.

Equity Method Investments

As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our equity method investments primarily included equity interests in OCC and EuroCCP N.V.

The carrying amounts of our equity method investments are included in other non-current assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Net income recognized from our equity interest in the earnings and losses of these equity method investments was $4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The increase in the three months ended March 31, 2017 compared with the same period in 2016 was primarily due to our additional 20.0% ownership interest in OCC, which we acquired in connection with our acquisition of ISE on June 30, 2016, bringing our total ownership interest in OCC to 40.0%.

Capital Contribution to OCC

In March 2015, in connection with being designated systemically important by the Financial Stability Oversight Council, OCC implemented a capital plan under which the options exchanges that are OCC’s stockholders made new capital contributions to OCC, committed to make further capital contributions in the future under certain specified circumstances, and received certain commitments from OCC with respect to future dividend payments and related matters. Under the OCC capital plan, OCC’s existing exchange stockholders, including Nasdaq and ISE, each contributed a pro-rata share of $150 million in new equity capital. Nasdaq’s and ISE’s capital contributions were each $30 million. OCC’s exchange stockholders also committed to provide, as may become necessary from time to time, additional replenishment capital on a pro-rata basis if certain capital thresholds are triggered. For its part, OCC adopted specific policies with respect to fees, customer refunds and stockholder dividends, which envision an annual dividend payment to its 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). After the SEC staff approved the OCC capital plan and the stockholders made their capital contributions, the plan’s further effectiveness was suspended under the applicable SEC rules because certain parties petitioned the full Commission to reconsider the capital plan’s approval. This stay was lifted by the SEC in September 2015, allowing OCC to implement the plan and in February 2016, the SEC issued an order approving the OCC capital plan as previously implemented and dismissed the petitions challenging that plan. The petitioners filed for a stay of the SEC’s order, which would have blocked OCC from paying a dividend under the OCC capital plan. The Court of Appeals denied the requested stay, permitting OCC to pay a dividend which Nasdaq received in February 2016. The petitioners also appealed the SEC’s order to the Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court heard arguments on the case in March 2017. The case remains pending until the court announces its decision.

Cost Method Investments

The carrying amount of our cost method investments is included in other non-current assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our cost method investments primarily represented our 5% ownership interest in Borsa Istanbul, and our 5% ownership interest in LCH.Clearnet Group Limited.

The Borsa Istanbul shares, which were issued to us in the first quarter of 2014, are part of the consideration received under a market technology agreement. This investment has a cost basis of $75 million which is guaranteed to us via a put option negotiated as part of the market technology agreement.