80_FR_50525 80 FR 50365 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Amending Rule 79A To Delete Supplementary Material .20 Requiring Prior Floor Official Approval Before a Designated Market Maker Can Initiate Certain Trades More Than One or Two Dollars Away From the Last Sale

80 FR 50365 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Amending Rule 79A To Delete Supplementary Material .20 Requiring Prior Floor Official Approval Before a Designated Market Maker Can Initiate Certain Trades More Than One or Two Dollars Away From the Last Sale

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 160 (August 19, 2015)

Page Range50365-50369
FR Document2015-20416

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 160 (Wednesday, August 19, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 160 (Wednesday, August 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50365-50369]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20416]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-75695; File No. SR-NYSE-2015-33]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change 
Amending Rule 79A To Delete Supplementary Material .20 Requiring Prior 
Floor Official Approval Before a Designated Market Maker Can Initiate 
Certain Trades More Than One or Two Dollars Away From the Last Sale

August 13, 2015.
    Pursuant to section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby given 
that on July 29, 2015, New York Stock Exchange LLC (``NYSE'' or 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, 
and III below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory 
organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit 
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
    \3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to amend Rule 79A to delete Supplementary 
Material .20 requiring prior Floor Official approval before a 
Designated Market Maker (``DMM'') can initiate certain trades more than 
one or two dollars away from the last sale. The text of the proposed 
rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com, at 
the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public 
Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization 
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the 
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the 
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at 
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared 
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most 
significant parts of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The Exchange proposes to amend Rule 79A to delete Supplementary 
Material .20, which requires prior Floor Official approval for certain 
DMM dealer trades more than one or two dollars away from the last sale, 
and to make conforming amendments to Rules 48, 80C and 9217 to delete 
references to Rule 79A.20.
Background
    Currently, except with respect to inactively traded securities the 
Exchange shall from time to time identify, Rule 79A.20(a) requires DMMs 
to obtain prior Floor Official approval for all transactions in stocks 
by the DMM as dealer (when the market is slow \4\) or transactions in 
which the DMM as dealer is reaching across the market \5\ (when the 
market is fast) that are made at (i) $1.00 or more away from the last 
sale when such last sale is under $20 per share or (ii) $2.00 or more 
away from the last sale when such last sale is at $20 per share or 
over. The Rule also provides that in unusual market situations, a Floor 
Governor, Senior Floor Official, or Executive Floor

[[Page 50366]]

Official \6\ has the discretion to determine that a different price 
parameter other than that required in subdivision (a) of the Rule is 
appropriate when the last sale is at $100 per share or over.\7\
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    \4\ For purposes of the Rule, the NYSE is considered a ``slow'' 
market when displaying a bid or offer (or both) that is not entitled 
to protection of Rule 611 under Regulation NMS. See Rule 79A.20(a). 
DMM dealer transactions in slow markets include the opening, 
reopening, and closing transactions.
    \5\ A DMM reaches across the market when the DMM buys from the 
NYSE offer or sells to the NYSE bid.
    \6\ Pursuant to Rules 46 and 46A, Floor Governors, Senior Floor 
Officials and Executive Floor Officials are one of several ranks of 
the broader category of Floor Officials, including, in order of 
increasing seniority, Floor Officials, Senior Floor Officials, 
Executive Floor Officials, Floor Governors and Executive Floor 
Governors. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57627 (April 4, 
2008), 73 FR 19919 (April 11, 2008) (SR-NYSE-2008-19).
    \7\ See Rule 79A.20(b).
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    The principles embodied in Rule 79A.20 were originally aimed at 
preventing undue price dislocation by the specialist at the opening. 
Gradually, the rule was extended to all trades significantly away from 
the last sale.\8\ The rule also functioned in part as a safeguard 
against market manipulation by specialists and Floor brokers as well as 
a control on price volatility by requiring a Floor Official who was not 
party to the transaction to review and approve all proposed 
transactions exceeding the rule's parameters before the trade was 
published to the consolidated tape, thereby ensuring that specialists 
were maintaining appropriate price continuity and depth, and that Floor 
brokers were not transacting in the trading crowd at unduly wide 
variations from the last sale.\9\
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    \8\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 56209 (August 6, 
2007), 72 FR 45290, 45291 (August 13, 2007) (SR-NYSE-2007-65) 
(``Release No. 56209'').
    \9\ See id.
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    In 2006, the Commission approved the Exchange's adoption of a 
``hybrid market'' under which Exchange systems assumed the function of 
matching and executing electronically-entered orders but specialists 
remained the responsible broker-dealer for orders on the Exchange's 
limit order book.\10\ In 2007, as a result of the increasing automation 
of trading and the accompanying decentralization of pricing decisions 
away from specialists, the Exchange comprehensively amended Rule 
79A.20. In that filing, the Exchange virtually eliminated Rule 79A.20 
approvals in all situations except those prescribed in the current 
Rule.\11\
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    \10\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 53539 (March 22, 
2006), 71 FR 16353 (March 31, 2006) (SR-NYSE-2004-05).
    \11\ See Release No. 56209, supra note 8, at 45291. At the time, 
the rule was set forth in Supplementary Material .30 of Rule 79A. 
The rule was re-numbered as Supplementary Material .20 in 2008. See 
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 58184 (July 17, 2008), 73 FR 
42853 (July 23, 2008) (SR-NYSE-2008-46).
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    Since that time, additional, significant market structure changes 
have continued to obviate the need for Rule 79A.20. In particular, in 
2008, the Exchange adopted the New Market Model, which transformed 
specialists into DMMs, who are no longer agents for the Exchange's 
limit order book and whose trading activity on the Exchange is limited 
to proprietary trading.\12\ Also in 2008, the Exchange greatly enhanced 
the transparency of its marketplace and improved the quality of the 
opening and closing auctions by introducing a real-time order imbalance 
information data feed (``Order Imbalance Information'').\13\ Further, 
DMMs now also have the ability to electronically open and close trading 
on the Exchange, which was not available to specialists in 2007.\14\ In 
2015, the Exchange eliminated Liquidity Replenishment Points (``LRP'') 
and the Gap Quote Policy and amended Rule 79A.20 to remove references 
to these Exchange-specific volatility mechanisms. Rule 79A.20 had 
previously required Floor Official review and approval of DMMs dealer 
trades one or two points away from the last sale following these intra-
day ``slow'' market scenarios.\15\ Finally, also in 2015, the Exchange 
amended Rule 1000 to reject marketable orders of over 1,000,000 shares 
upon arrival. Such orders were ineligible for automatic execution and 
caused the Exchange to suspend automatic executions and disseminate a 
``slow'' quote condition.\16\
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    \12\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 58845(October 24, 
2008), 73 FR 64379, 64381 (October 29, 2008) (SR-NYSE-2008-46).
    \13\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57861 (May 23, 
2008), 73 FR 31905 (June 4, 2008) (SR-NYSE-2008-42). See also 
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59815 (April 23, 2009), 74 FR 
19609 (April 29, 2009) (SR-NYSE-2009-41) (modifying the reference 
price at which the Exchange reports Order Imbalance Information and 
clarifying what information is included in and excluded from the 
Order Imbalance Information Reports). In 2009, the Exchange further 
enhanced the transparency of its informational data feed for 
imbalances by including d-Quotes and all other e-Quotes containing 
pegging instructions eligible to participate in the closing 
transaction in the Order Imbalance Information data feed. See Rule 
70(1) & Supplementary Material .25; Securities Exchange Act Release 
No. 60153 (June 19, 2009), 74 FR 30656 (June 26, 2009) (SR-NYSE-
2009-49).
    \14\ See Rule 123D (openings); Rule 123C.10 (closings). See 
generally Rule 104(b).
    \15\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 74063 (January 15, 
2015), 80 FR 3269 (January 22, 2015) (SR-NYSE-2015-01). See also 
note 4, supra.
    \16\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 74649 (April 6, 
2015), 80 FR 19383 (April 10, 2015) (SR-NYSE-2015-14).
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Proposed Rule Change
    The Exchange proposes to delete Rule 79A.20. As discussed below, 
the situations where the Rule would be invoked are now limited to the 
open, reopenings and the close, where market transparency and existing 
safeguards render the Rule unnecessary and duplicative of other rules 
requiring Floor Official approval.
    As noted above, the recent elimination of LRPs and the Gap Quote 
Policy removed the remaining intra-day events when the Exchange's 
market was ``slow'' and DMM pricing decisions that could trigger Rule 
79A.20 approvals. As such, trading circumstances warranting Rule 79A.20 
review are now limited to manual DMM participation when a security 
moves one or two dollars from the last sale (based on whether the 
security is under $20 or $20 and over) at either the open, close or, 
more rarely, intraday during reopenings.
    In light of the transparency surrounding the open and close and the 
involvement of Floor Officials in those processes, the Exchange 
believes that there is no longer a need for Floor Officials to 
separately approve individual DMM transactions under Rule 79A.20. 
First, as described above, the Exchange significantly enhanced the 
transparency surrounding the open and close with the introduction of a 
real-time Order Imbalance Information data feed in 2008. This 
proprietary data feed, disseminated prior to the open pursuant to Rule 
15(c)(1) \17\ and prior to close pursuant to Rule 123C(6),\18\ reflects 
real-time order imbalances that accumulate prior to the opening and 
closing

[[Page 50367]]

transactions on the Exchange and the price at which interest eligible 
to participate in the opening or closing transactions may be executed 
in full.
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    \17\ Pursuant to Rule 15(c)(1), Order Imbalance Information 
disseminated prior to the open includes all interest eligible for 
execution in the opening transaction of the security in Exchange 
systems, i.e., electronic interest, including Floor broker 
electronic interest, entered into Exchange systems prior to the 
opening. Pre-opening Order Imbalance Information is disseminated 
approximately every five minutes between 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time 
(``ET'') and 9:00 a.m. ET; approximately every minute between 9:00 
a.m. ET and 9:20 a.m. ET; and approximately every 15 seconds between 
9:20 a.m. ET and the opening of trading in that security. See Rule 
15(c)(3).
    \18\ Pursuant to Rule 123C(6), Order Imbalance Information 
disseminated prior to the close includes, among other things: (1) 
The Mandatory Market on Close (``MOC'')/Limit on Close (``LOC'') 
Imbalance Publication; (2) a data field indicating the price at 
which closing-only interest (i.e., MOC orders, marketable LOC 
orders, and CO orders opposite the imbalance) may be executed in 
full; and, (3) a data field indicating the price at which interest 
in the Display Book (e.g., Minimum Display Reserve Orders, Floor 
broker reserve e-Quotes not designated to be excluded from the 
aggregated agency interest information available to the DMM, d-
Quotes and pegged e-Quotes at the price indicated on the order as 
the base price to be used to calculate the range of discretion and 
Stop orders) as well as all closing-only orders (MOC, marketable 
LOC, and CO orders opposite the imbalance) may be executed in full. 
Pre-closing Order Imbalance Information is disseminated every 
fifteen seconds between 3:40 p.m. and 3:50 p.m.; thereafter, it is 
disseminated every five seconds between 3:50 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. 
Commencing at 3:55 p.m., the Order Imbalance Information 
disseminated by the Exchange also includes d-Quotes and all other e-
Quotes containing pegging instructions eligible to participate in 
the closing transaction and Stop orders.
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    Second, in addition to disseminating Order Imbalance Information, 
the Exchange's Rules require the timely communication of price 
dislocations and unusual market situations, including delayed openings, 
to the marketplace. Rule 15(a) provides that if the opening transaction 
in a security will be at a price that represents a change of more than 
the ``applicable price change'' specified in the Rule (representing a 
numerical or percentage change from the security's closing price per 
share or, in the case of an IPO, the security's offering price), the 
DMM arranging the opening transaction or the Exchange must issue a pre-
opening indication (a ``Rule 15 Indication''), which represents a range 
of where a security may open. The Rule 15 Indication is a price range 
that is published on the Exchange's proprietary data feeds prior to the 
scheduled opening time. A Rule 15 Indication includes the security and 
the price range within which the DMM anticipates the opening 
transaction will occur, and would include any orally-represented Floor 
broker interest for the open.
    Similarly, Rule 123D Mandatory Indications are required for an 
opening that will result in a ``significant'' price change from the 
previous close. For securities priced under $10, indications are 
required under Rule 123D(1) if the price change is one dollar or more; 
for securities between $10 and $99.99, indications are required for 
price movements of the lesser of 10% or three dollars; and for 
securities over $100, indications are required for price movements of 
five dollars or more. Rule 123D(1) requires DMMs to disseminate one or 
more indications in connection with any delayed opening where a 
security has not opened or been quoted by 10 a.m. (``Rule 123D 
Mandatory Indication''). The DMM is responsible for publishing the Rule 
123D Mandatory Indication and, when determining the price range for the 
indication, take into consideration Floor broker interest that has been 
orally entered and what, at a given time, the DMM anticipates the 
dealer participation in the opening transaction would be. Rule 123D 
Mandatory Indications are published to the Consolidated Tape.
    Importantly, all Rule 123D Mandatory Indications require the 
supervision and approval of a Floor Official. Rule 123D approvals are 
therefore similar to Rule 79A.20 approvals. In fact, almost half of 
Floor Official approvals under Rule 79A.20 also occur in situations 
where a mandatory indication was published pursuant to Rule 123D. In 
these circumstances, requiring the Floor Official to separately approve 
a price movement under Rule 79A.20 would be duplicative.
    The Exchange further notes that the Floor Official approval 
requirements of Rule 79A.20 impede the ability of a DMM to open or 
close a security electronically at the Exchange if the security were to 
open one or two points away from the last sale. As a practical matter, 
the only way for Floor Officials to approve trades more than one or two 
dollars away from the last sale in the case of an electronic open or 
close would be to turn a fast market into a ``slow'' one and 
potentially open the security after 9:30 a.m., which was one of the 
rationales for eliminating virtually all Rule 79A.20 approvals in 
2007.\19\
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    \19\ See Release No. 56209, supra note 8 at 45291.
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    With respect to the separate Rule 79A.20 requirement that the DMM 
obtain Floor Official approvals when the market is fast and the DMM as 
dealer is reaching across the market, i.e., selling at the bid and 
buying at the offer, the Exchange similarly believes that such 
approvals are unnecessary and duplicative of other safeguards. As noted 
above, the application of Rule 79A.20 is limited to the opening, 
reopenings and the close, where this scenario would not arise. 
Moreover, the Exchange believes that obtaining Floor Official approval 
when a DMM is reaching across a fast market is impractical in today's 
market place because, especially in the most actively traded Exchange 
securities, the automated marketplace simply moves too fast.
    Even if obtaining Floor Official approvals were practical, the 
Exchange believes that the combination of volatility and system 
controls in place that were unavailable in 2007 render such approvals 
unnecessary. DMM dealer trades one or two points away from the last 
sale that reach across the market would continue to be subject to the 
Limit Up/Limit Down (``LULD'') price controls, as provided for in Rule 
80C(a)(4), the Trading Collars, as provided for in Rule 1000(c), and 
the numerical guidelines for determining whether a clearly erroneous 
execution has occurred under Rule 128. In addition, as the Exchange 
noted in a different context,\20\ as the marketplace has become more 
electronic, DMM units have increased their utilization of technology to 
reduce risk exposure by using algorithms to adjust prices quickly in 
response to market dynamics, which in turn has contributed to reducing 
the potential for significant and/or rapid movements in the market and 
help DMMs satisfy their obligation to maintain a fair and orderly 
market in assigned securities pursuant to Rule 104, particularly in 
times of market stress. The Exchange believes that these risk controls 
provide a further significant limitation on the ability of DMMs to 
initiate a move of more than one or two dollars away from the last sale 
trade in fast markets, especially in light of the tight spreads on the 
Exchange.\21\
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    \20\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71360 (January 21, 
2014), 79 FR 4366, 4367 (January 27, 2014) (SR-NYSE-2014-02).
    \21\ For instance, in May 2015, the quoted spread on the NYSE 
for stocks below $20 a share was $0.048; the quoted spread for 
stocks above $20 was $0.466. For all NYSE-listed securities, the 
quoted spread in May 2015 was $0.314.
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    Finally, DMM pricing decisions at the open and close and during 
fast markets are subject to specific DMM obligations with respect to 
the quality of the markets in securities to which they are assigned. In 
general, transactions on the Exchange by a DMM for the DMM's account 
must be effected in a reasonable and orderly manner in relation to the 
condition of the general market and the market in the particular stock.
    As noted, DMMs have affirmative obligations under Rule 104(a) to 
engage in a course of dealings for their own account to assist in the 
maintenance of a fair and orderly market insofar as reasonably 
practicable. Specifically, Rule 104(f)(ii) sets forth the DMM's 
obligation to act as reasonably necessary to ensure appropriate depth 
and maintain reasonable price variations between transactions (also 
known as price continuity) and prevent unexpected variations in 
trading. Further, under Rule 123D(1), openings and reopenings must be 
fair and orderly, reflecting the DMM's professional assessment of 
market conditions at the time, and appropriate consideration of the 
balance of supply and demand as reflected by orders represented in the 
market. The Exchange also supplies DMMs with suggested Depth Guidelines 
for each security in which a DMM is registered, and DMMs are expected 
to quote and trade with reference to the Depth Guidelines. Further, the 
DMM's affirmative obligation includes obligations to re-enter the 
market when reaching across to execute against available interest. For 
instance, under Rule 104(h), DMMs can engage in conditional 
transactions that establish or increase a position and that reach 
across the market without restriction

[[Page 50368]]

provided such transactions are followed by appropriate re-entry on the 
opposite side of the market commensurate with the size of the DMM's 
transaction.\22\ The Exchange issues guidelines, called price 
participation points (``PPP''), that identify the price at or before 
which a DMM is expected to re-enter the market after effecting a 
conditional transaction.\23\ DMM trading activity on the Exchange is 
actively monitored for compliance with each of these obligations.
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    \22\ See Rule 104(h)(iii). Immediate re-entry is required after 
certain Conditional Transactions.
    \23\ See NYSE Rule 104(h)(iii)(A).
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    The Exchange believes that the availability and dissemination of 
Order Imbalance Information, Rule 15 Indications and 123D Mandatory 
Indications, together with the DMM's existing affirmative and other 
obligations pursuant to Rule 104, provide an appropriate framework in 
today's market structure for ensuring that opening or closing 
transactions that occur at a price significantly away from the last 
sale price are communicated to all market participants. In particular, 
because of this transparency, the open and close are subject to greater 
scrutiny by all market participants, which in of itself serves as a 
check on where a DMM opens or closes a security. The Exchange therefore 
believes that the need for a Floor Official to review a DMM's actions 
at the open or close, which was adopted in a time when there was no 
market-wide transparency regarding pricing of the open or close, is 
redundant of existing oversight of the open and close.
    For all of these reasons, the Exchange believes that requiring 
separate Floor Official approvals for one and two dollar price 
movements is no longer necessary.
    The Exchange also proposes to delete references to Rule 79A.20 from 
Rules 48, 80C and 9217. In the case of Rule 48, the reference to be 
removed would be to Rule 79A.30. Rule 48 was not updated when the text 
of the Rule was moved from Supplementary Material .30 to .20.\24\ The 
Exchange believes these proposed changes will add transparency and 
clarity to the Exchange's rules.
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    \24\ See note 11 supra.
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2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with section 6(b) of the Act,\25\ in general, and furthers the 
objectives of section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\26\ in particular, because it 
is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, 
promote just and equitable principles of trade, remove impediments to 
and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national 
market system, and protect investors and the public interest. In 
particular, the Exchange believes that eliminating Rule 79A.20 would 
remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open 
market and a national market system by eliminating redundant approvals 
from the remaining manual processes at the open and close of trading. 
The Exchange believes that eliminating Rule 79A.20 approvals would not 
be inconsistent with the public interest and the protection of 
investors because the transparency surrounding the open and close and 
the information available to the marketplace enables investors and the 
public to assess whether a security would open or close outside the one 
or two point parameter, thereby obviating the need for a single Floor 
Official to oversight the open and close. Further, the Exchange 
believes that eliminating Rule 79A.20 approvals would not be 
inconsistent with the public interest and the protection of investors 
because other safeguards will remain in place to ensure that DMMs 
maintain appropriate price continuity and depth and do not transact at 
unduly wide price variations, thereby establishing substantially the 
same result. As noted above, pursuant to Rule 123D, Floor Officials 
would remain involved in supervising when the open would occur at a 
price significantly away from the last sale, which is when the majority 
of Rule 79A.20 approvals currently occur, and DMM trading will also 
remain subject to Exchange rules, including the obligation to maintain 
a fair and orderly market under Rule 104.
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    \25\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \26\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    The Exchange further believes that deleting corresponding 
references to Rule 79A.20 in other rules would remove impediments to 
and perfects the mechanism of a free and open market by reducing 
potential confusion and adding transparency and clarity to the 
Exchange's rules, thereby ensuring that members, regulators and the 
public can more easily navigate and understand the Exchange's rulebook.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will 
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate 
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The proposed rule change is 
not intended to address competitive issues but rather to eliminate 
redundant approvals of manual trades on its trading Floor.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the 
proposed rule change.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to section 
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \27\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\28\ 
Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) Significantly affect the 
protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any 
significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative prior to 
30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as 
the Commission may designate, if consistent with the protection of 
investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become 
effective pursuant to section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.
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    \27\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
    \28\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
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    A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \29\ normally 
does not become operative prior to 30 days after the date of the 
filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b4(f)(6)(iii),\30\ the Commission 
may designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the 
protection of investors and the public interest.
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    \29\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \30\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under 
section 19(b)(2)(B) \31\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed 
rule change should be approved or disapproved.
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    \31\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:

[[Page 50369]]

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-NYSE-2015-33 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities 
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2015-33. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help 
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available 
for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All 
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does 
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should 
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All 
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2015-33 and should be 
submitted on or before September 9, 2015.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\32\
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    \32\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-20416 Filed 8-18-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P



                                                                         Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 160 / Wednesday, August 19, 2015 / Notices                                                    50365

                                              III. Date of Effectiveness of the                       filing also will be available for                     dollars away from the last sale. The text
                                              Proposed Rule Change and Timing for                     inspection and copying at the principal               of the proposed rule change is available
                                              Commission Action                                       office of NASDAQ. All comments                        on the Exchange’s Web site at
                                                Within 45 days of the date of                         received will be posted without change;               www.nyse.com, at the principal office of
                                              publication of this notice in the Federal               the Commission does not edit personal                 the Exchange, and at the Commission’s
                                              Register or within such longer period                   identifying information from                          Public Reference Room.
                                              up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may                 submissions. You should submit only
                                                                                                      information that you wish to make                     II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                              designate if it finds such longer period                                                                      Statement of the Purpose of, and
                                                                                                      available publicly. All submissions
                                              to be appropriate and publishes its                                                                           Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
                                                                                                      should refer to File Number SR–
                                              reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which                                                                    Change
                                                                                                      NASDAQ–2015–089 and should be
                                              the self-regulatory organization
                                                                                                      submitted on or before September 9,                     In its filing with the Commission, the
                                              consents, the Commission will: (a) By
                                                                                                      2015.                                                 self-regulatory organization included
                                              order approve or disapprove such
                                              proposed rule change; or (b) institute                    For the Commission, by the Division of              statements concerning the purpose of,
                                              proceedings to determine whether the                    Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated            and basis for, the proposed rule change
                                                                                                      authority.27                                          and discussed any comments it received
                                              proposed rule change should be
                                              disapproved.                                            Brent J. Fields,                                      on the proposed rule change. The text
                                                                                                      Secretary.                                            of those statements may be examined at
                                              IV. Solicitation of Comments                            [FR Doc. 2015–20417 Filed 8–18–15; 8:45 am]           the places specified in Item IV below.
                                                Interested persons are invited to                     BILLING CODE 8011–01–P                                The Exchange has prepared summaries,
                                              submit written data, views, and                                                                               set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
                                              arguments concerning the foregoing,                                                                           of the most significant parts of such
                                              including whether the proposed rule                     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                               statements.
                                              change is consistent with the Act.                      COMMISSION
                                                                                                                                                            A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                Comments may be submitted by any                      [Release No. 34–75695; File No. SR–NYSE–              Statement of the Purpose of, and the
                                              of the following methods:                               2015–33]                                              Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
                                              Electronic Comments                                                                                           Change
                                                                                                      Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
                                                • Use the Commission’s Internet                       York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of                    1. Purpose
                                              comment form (http://www.sec.gov/                       Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
                                              rules/sro.shtml); or                                                                                            The Exchange proposes to amend
                                                                                                      Proposed Rule Change Amending Rule
                                                • Send an email to rule-comments@                                                                           Rule 79A to delete Supplementary
                                                                                                      79A To Delete Supplementary Material
                                              sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–                                                                       Material .20, which requires prior Floor
                                                                                                      .20 Requiring Prior Floor Official
                                              NASDAQ–2015–089 on the subject line.                                                                          Official approval for certain DMM
                                                                                                      Approval Before a Designated Market
                                                                                                                                                            dealer trades more than one or two
                                                                                                      Maker Can Initiate Certain Trades More
                                              Paper Comments                                                                                                dollars away from the last sale, and to
                                                                                                      Than One or Two Dollars Away From
                                                 • Send paper comments in triplicate                                                                        make conforming amendments to Rules
                                                                                                      the Last Sale
                                              to Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Securities                                                                     48, 80C and 9217 to delete references to
                                              and Exchange Commission, Station                        August 13, 2015.                                      Rule 79A.20.
                                              Place, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC                    Pursuant to section 19(b)(1) 1 of the              Background
                                              20549.                                                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                                                                                                      (‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3                  Currently, except with respect to
                                              All submissions should refer to File
                                                                                                      notice is hereby given that on July 29,               inactively traded securities the
                                              Number SR–NASDAQ–2015–089. This
                                                                                                      2015, New York Stock Exchange LLC                     Exchange shall from time to time
                                              file number should be included on the
                                                                                                      (‘‘NYSE’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the             identify, Rule 79A.20(a) requires DMMs
                                              subject line if email is used. To help the
                                                                                                      Securities and Exchange Commission                    to obtain prior Floor Official approval
                                              Commission process and review your
                                                                                                      (‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule                    for all transactions in stocks by the
                                              comments more efficiently, please use
                                                                                                      change as described in Items I, II, and               DMM as dealer (when the market is
                                              only one method. The Commission will
                                                                                                      III below, which Items have been                      slow 4) or transactions in which the
                                              post all comments on the Commission’s
                                                                                                      prepared by the self-regulatory                       DMM as dealer is reaching across the
                                              Internet Web site http://www.sec.gov/
                                                                                                      organization. The Commission is                       market 5 (when the market is fast) that
                                              rules/sro.shtml.
                                                 Copies of the submission, all                        publishing this notice to solicit                     are made at (i) $1.00 or more away from
                                              subsequent amendments, all written                      comments on the proposed rule change                  the last sale when such last sale is under
                                              statements with respect to the proposed                 from interested persons.                              $20 per share or (ii) $2.00 or more away
                                              rule change that are filed with the                     I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                     from the last sale when such last sale is
                                              Commission, and all written                             Statement of the Terms of Substance of                at $20 per share or over. The Rule also
                                              communications relating to the                          the Proposed Rule Change                              provides that in unusual market
                                              proposed rule change between the                                                                              situations, a Floor Governor, Senior
                                                                                                         The Exchange proposes to amend                     Floor Official, or Executive Floor
                                              Commission and any person, other than                   Rule 79A to delete Supplementary
                                              those that may be withheld from the                     Material .20 requiring prior Floor                      4 For purposes of the Rule, the NYSE is
                                              public in accordance with the                           Official approval before a Designated                 considered a ‘‘slow’’ market when displaying a bid
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                                              provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be                     Market Maker (‘‘DMM’’) can initiate                   or offer (or both) that is not entitled to protection
                                              available for Web site viewing and                      certain trades more than one or two                   of Rule 611 under Regulation NMS. See Rule
                                              printing in the Commission’s Public                                                                           79A.20(a). DMM dealer transactions in slow
                                              Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,                                                                             markets include the opening, reopening, and
                                                                                                        27 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).                          closing transactions.
                                              Washington, DC 20549, on official                         1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).                                5 A DMM reaches across the market when the
                                              business days between the hours of                        2 15 U.S.C. 78a.
                                                                                                                                                            DMM buys from the NYSE offer or sells to the NYSE
                                              10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the                    3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.                                 bid.



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                                              50366                      Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 160 / Wednesday, August 19, 2015 / Notices

                                              Official 6 has the discretion to determine              Exchange adopted the New Market                       duplicative of other rules requiring
                                              that a different price parameter other                  Model, which transformed specialists                  Floor Official approval.
                                              than that required in subdivision (a) of                into DMMs, who are no longer agents                      As noted above, the recent
                                              the Rule is appropriate when the last                   for the Exchange’s limit order book and               elimination of LRPs and the Gap Quote
                                              sale is at $100 per share or over.7                     whose trading activity on the Exchange                Policy removed the remaining intra-day
                                                 The principles embodied in Rule                      is limited to proprietary trading.12 Also             events when the Exchange’s market was
                                              79A.20 were originally aimed at                         in 2008, the Exchange greatly enhanced                ‘‘slow’’ and DMM pricing decisions that
                                              preventing undue price dislocation by                   the transparency of its marketplace and               could trigger Rule 79A.20 approvals. As
                                              the specialist at the opening. Gradually,               improved the quality of the opening and               such, trading circumstances warranting
                                              the rule was extended to all trades                     closing auctions by introducing a real-               Rule 79A.20 review are now limited to
                                              significantly away from the last sale.8                 time order imbalance information data                 manual DMM participation when a
                                              The rule also functioned in part as a                   feed (‘‘Order Imbalance Information’’).13             security moves one or two dollars from
                                              safeguard against market manipulation                   Further, DMMs now also have the                       the last sale (based on whether the
                                              by specialists and Floor brokers as well                ability to electronically open and close              security is under $20 or $20 and over)
                                              as a control on price volatility by                     trading on the Exchange, which was not                at either the open, close or, more rarely,
                                              requiring a Floor Official who was not                  available to specialists in 2007.14 In                intraday during reopenings.
                                              party to the transaction to review and                  2015, the Exchange eliminated Liquidity                  In light of the transparency
                                              approve all proposed transactions                       Replenishment Points (‘‘LRP’’) and the                surrounding the open and close and the
                                              exceeding the rule’s parameters before                  Gap Quote Policy and amended Rule                     involvement of Floor Officials in those
                                              the trade was published to the                          79A.20 to remove references to these                  processes, the Exchange believes that
                                              consolidated tape, thereby ensuring that                Exchange-specific volatility                          there is no longer a need for Floor
                                              specialists were maintaining                            mechanisms. Rule 79A.20 had                           Officials to separately approve
                                              appropriate price continuity and depth,                 previously required Floor Official                    individual DMM transactions under
                                              and that Floor brokers were not                         review and approval of DMMs dealer                    Rule 79A.20. First, as described above,
                                              transacting in the trading crowd at                     trades one or two points away from the                the Exchange significantly enhanced the
                                              unduly wide variations from the last                    last sale following these intra-day                   transparency surrounding the open and
                                              sale.9                                                  ‘‘slow’’ market scenarios.15 Finally, also            close with the introduction of a real-
                                                 In 2006, the Commission approved                     in 2015, the Exchange amended Rule                    time Order Imbalance Information data
                                              the Exchange’s adoption of a ‘‘hybrid                   1000 to reject marketable orders of over              feed in 2008. This proprietary data feed,
                                              market’’ under which Exchange systems                   1,000,000 shares upon arrival. Such                   disseminated prior to the open pursuant
                                              assumed the function of matching and                    orders were ineligible for automatic                  to Rule 15(c)(1) 17 and prior to close
                                              executing electronically-entered orders                 execution and caused the Exchange to                  pursuant to Rule 123C(6),18 reflects real-
                                              but specialists remained the responsible                                                                      time order imbalances that accumulate
                                                                                                      suspend automatic executions and
                                              broker-dealer for orders on the                                                                               prior to the opening and closing
                                                                                                      disseminate a ‘‘slow’’ quote condition.16
                                              Exchange’s limit order book.10 In 2007,
                                              as a result of the increasing automation                Proposed Rule Change                                     17 Pursuant to Rule 15(c)(1), Order Imbalance

                                              of trading and the accompanying                                                                               Information disseminated prior to the open
                                                                                                         The Exchange proposes to delete Rule               includes all interest eligible for execution in the
                                              decentralization of pricing decisions                                                                         opening transaction of the security in Exchange
                                              away from specialists, the Exchange                     79A.20. As discussed below, the                       systems, i.e., electronic interest, including Floor
                                              comprehensively amended Rule 79A.20.                    situations where the Rule would be                    broker electronic interest, entered into Exchange
                                              In that filing, the Exchange virtually                  invoked are now limited to the open,                  systems prior to the opening. Pre-opening Order
                                                                                                      reopenings and the close, where market                Imbalance Information is disseminated
                                              eliminated Rule 79A.20 approvals in all                                                                       approximately every five minutes between 8:30 a.m.
                                              situations except those prescribed in the               transparency and existing safeguards                  Eastern Time (‘‘ET’’) and 9:00 a.m. ET;
                                              current Rule.11                                         render the Rule unnecessary and                       approximately every minute between 9:00 a.m. ET
                                                 Since that time, additional, significant                                                                   and 9:20 a.m. ET; and approximately every 15
                                                                                                                                                            seconds between 9:20 a.m. ET and the opening of
                                              market structure changes have                              12 See Securities Exchange Act Release No.
                                                                                                                                                            trading in that security. See Rule 15(c)(3).
                                              continued to obviate the need for Rule                  58845(October 24, 2008), 73 FR 64379, 64381              18 Pursuant to Rule 123C(6), Order Imbalance
                                                                                                      (October 29, 2008) (SR–NYSE–2008–46).
                                              79A.20. In particular, in 2008, the                        13 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57861
                                                                                                                                                            Information disseminated prior to the close
                                                                                                                                                            includes, among other things: (1) The Mandatory
                                                                                                      (May 23, 2008), 73 FR 31905 (June 4, 2008) (SR–       Market on Close (‘‘MOC’’)/Limit on Close (‘‘LOC’’)
                                                6 Pursuant to Rules 46 and 46A, Floor Governors,
                                                                                                      NYSE–2008–42). See also Securities Exchange Act       Imbalance Publication; (2) a data field indicating
                                              Senior Floor Officials and Executive Floor Officials    Release No. 59815 (April 23, 2009), 74 FR 19609
                                              are one of several ranks of the broader category of                                                           the price at which closing-only interest (i.e., MOC
                                                                                                      (April 29, 2009) (SR–NYSE–2009–41) (modifying         orders, marketable LOC orders, and CO orders
                                              Floor Officials, including, in order of increasing      the reference price at which the Exchange reports
                                              seniority, Floor Officials, Senior Floor Officials,                                                           opposite the imbalance) may be executed in full;
                                                                                                      Order Imbalance Information and clarifying what       and, (3) a data field indicating the price at which
                                              Executive Floor Officials, Floor Governors and          information is included in and excluded from the
                                              Executive Floor Governors. See Securities Exchange                                                            interest in the Display Book (e.g., Minimum Display
                                                                                                      Order Imbalance Information Reports). In 2009, the    Reserve Orders, Floor broker reserve e-Quotes not
                                              Act Release No. 57627 (April 4, 2008), 73 FR 19919      Exchange further enhanced the transparency of its
                                              (April 11, 2008) (SR–NYSE–2008–19).                                                                           designated to be excluded from the aggregated
                                                                                                      informational data feed for imbalances by including   agency interest information available to the DMM,
                                                7 See Rule 79A.20(b).
                                                                                                      d-Quotes and all other e-Quotes containing pegging    d-Quotes and pegged e-Quotes at the price
                                                8 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 56209       instructions eligible to participate in the closing   indicated on the order as the base price to be used
                                              (August 6, 2007), 72 FR 45290, 45291 (August 13,        transaction in the Order Imbalance Information data   to calculate the range of discretion and Stop orders)
                                              2007) (SR–NYSE–2007–65) (‘‘Release No. 56209’’).        feed. See Rule 70(1) & Supplementary Material .25;    as well as all closing-only orders (MOC, marketable
                                                9 See id.                                             Securities Exchange Act Release No. 60153 (June       LOC, and CO orders opposite the imbalance) may
                                                10 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 53539      19, 2009), 74 FR 30656 (June 26, 2009) (SR–NYSE–      be executed in full. Pre-closing Order Imbalance
                                              (March 22, 2006), 71 FR 16353 (March 31, 2006)          2009–49).                                             Information is disseminated every fifteen seconds
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                                                                                                         14 See Rule 123D (openings); Rule 123C.10
                                              (SR–NYSE–2004–05).                                                                                            between 3:40 p.m. and 3:50 p.m.; thereafter, it is
                                                11 See Release No. 56209, supra note 8, at 45291.     (closings). See generally Rule 104(b).                disseminated every five seconds between 3:50 p.m.
                                                                                                         15 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 74063
                                              At the time, the rule was set forth in Supplementary                                                          and 4:00 p.m. Commencing at 3:55 p.m., the Order
                                              Material .30 of Rule 79A. The rule was re-numbered      (January 15, 2015), 80 FR 3269 (January 22, 2015)     Imbalance Information disseminated by the
                                              as Supplementary Material .20 in 2008. See              (SR–NYSE–2015–01). See also note 4, supra.            Exchange also includes d-Quotes and all other e-
                                              Securities Exchange Act Release No. 58184 (July 17,        16 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 74649   Quotes containing pegging instructions eligible to
                                              2008), 73 FR 42853 (July 23, 2008) (SR–NYSE–            (April 6, 2015), 80 FR 19383 (April 10, 2015) (SR–    participate in the closing transaction and Stop
                                              2008–46).                                               NYSE–2015–14).                                        orders.



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                                                                         Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 160 / Wednesday, August 19, 2015 / Notices                                                  50367

                                              transactions on the Exchange and the                    79A.20 also occur in situations where a               have increased their utilization of
                                              price at which interest eligible to                     mandatory indication was published                    technology to reduce risk exposure by
                                              participate in the opening or closing                   pursuant to Rule 123D. In these                       using algorithms to adjust prices quickly
                                              transactions may be executed in full.                   circumstances, requiring the Floor                    in response to market dynamics, which
                                                 Second, in addition to disseminating                 Official to separately approve a price                in turn has contributed to reducing the
                                              Order Imbalance Information, the                        movement under Rule 79A.20 would be                   potential for significant and/or rapid
                                              Exchange’s Rules require the timely                     duplicative.                                          movements in the market and help
                                              communication of price dislocations                        The Exchange further notes that the                DMMs satisfy their obligation to
                                              and unusual market situations,                          Floor Official approval requirements of               maintain a fair and orderly market in
                                              including delayed openings, to the                      Rule 79A.20 impede the ability of a                   assigned securities pursuant to Rule
                                              marketplace. Rule 15(a) provides that if                DMM to open or close a security                       104, particularly in times of market
                                              the opening transaction in a security                   electronically at the Exchange if the                 stress. The Exchange believes that these
                                              will be at a price that represents a                    security were to open one or two points               risk controls provide a further
                                              change of more than the ‘‘applicable                    away from the last sale. As a practical               significant limitation on the ability of
                                              price change’’ specified in the Rule                    matter, the only way for Floor Officials              DMMs to initiate a move of more than
                                              (representing a numerical or percentage                 to approve trades more than one or two                one or two dollars away from the last
                                              change from the security’s closing price                dollars away from the last sale in the                sale trade in fast markets, especially in
                                              per share or, in the case of an IPO, the                case of an electronic open or close                   light of the tight spreads on the
                                              security’s offering price), the DMM                     would be to turn a fast market into a                 Exchange.21
                                              arranging the opening transaction or the                ‘‘slow’’ one and potentially open the                    Finally, DMM pricing decisions at the
                                              Exchange must issue a pre-opening                       security after 9:30 a.m., which was one               open and close and during fast markets
                                              indication (a ‘‘Rule 15 Indication’’),                  of the rationales for eliminating                     are subject to specific DMM obligations
                                              which represents a range of where a                     virtually all Rule 79A.20 approvals in                with respect to the quality of the
                                              security may open. The Rule 15                          2007.19                                               markets in securities to which they are
                                              Indication is a price range that is                        With respect to the separate Rule                  assigned. In general, transactions on the
                                              published on the Exchange’s proprietary                 79A.20 requirement that the DMM                       Exchange by a DMM for the DMM’s
                                              data feeds prior to the scheduled                       obtain Floor Official approvals when the              account must be effected in a reasonable
                                              opening time. A Rule 15 Indication                      market is fast and the DMM as dealer is               and orderly manner in relation to the
                                              includes the security and the price                     reaching across the market, i.e., selling             condition of the general market and the
                                              range within which the DMM                              at the bid and buying at the offer, the               market in the particular stock.
                                              anticipates the opening transaction will                Exchange similarly believes that such                    As noted, DMMs have affirmative
                                              occur, and would include any orally-                    approvals are unnecessary and                         obligations under Rule 104(a) to engage
                                              represented Floor broker interest for the               duplicative of other safeguards. As                   in a course of dealings for their own
                                              open.                                                   noted above, the application of Rule                  account to assist in the maintenance of
                                                 Similarly, Rule 123D Mandatory                       79A.20 is limited to the opening,                     a fair and orderly market insofar as
                                              Indications are required for an opening                 reopenings and the close, where this                  reasonably practicable. Specifically,
                                              that will result in a ‘‘significant’’ price             scenario would not arise. Moreover, the               Rule 104(f)(ii) sets forth the DMM’s
                                              change from the previous close. For                     Exchange believes that obtaining Floor                obligation to act as reasonably necessary
                                              securities priced under $10, indications                Official approval when a DMM is                       to ensure appropriate depth and
                                              are required under Rule 123D(1) if the                  reaching across a fast market is                      maintain reasonable price variations
                                              price change is one dollar or more; for                 impractical in today’s market place                   between transactions (also known as
                                              securities between $10 and $99.99,                      because, especially in the most actively              price continuity) and prevent
                                              indications are required for price                      traded Exchange securities, the                       unexpected variations in trading.
                                              movements of the lesser of 10% or three                 automated marketplace simply moves                    Further, under Rule 123D(1), openings
                                              dollars; and for securities over $100,                  too fast.                                             and reopenings must be fair and orderly,
                                              indications are required for price                         Even if obtaining Floor Official                   reflecting the DMM’s professional
                                              movements of five dollars or more. Rule                 approvals were practical, the Exchange                assessment of market conditions at the
                                              123D(1) requires DMMs to disseminate                    believes that the combination of                      time, and appropriate consideration of
                                              one or more indications in connection                   volatility and system controls in place               the balance of supply and demand as
                                              with any delayed opening where a                        that were unavailable in 2007 render                  reflected by orders represented in the
                                              security has not opened or been quoted                  such approvals unnecessary. DMM                       market. The Exchange also supplies
                                              by 10 a.m. (‘‘Rule 123D Mandatory                       dealer trades one or two points away                  DMMs with suggested Depth Guidelines
                                              Indication’’). The DMM is responsible                   from the last sale that reach across the              for each security in which a DMM is
                                              for publishing the Rule 123D Mandatory                  market would continue to be subject to                registered, and DMMs are expected to
                                              Indication and, when determining the                    the Limit Up/Limit Down (‘‘LULD’’)                    quote and trade with reference to the
                                              price range for the indication, take into               price controls, as provided for in Rule               Depth Guidelines. Further, the DMM’s
                                              consideration Floor broker interest that                80C(a)(4), the Trading Collars, as                    affirmative obligation includes
                                              has been orally entered and what, at a                                                                        obligations to re-enter the market when
                                                                                                      provided for in Rule 1000(c), and the
                                              given time, the DMM anticipates the                                                                           reaching across to execute against
                                                                                                      numerical guidelines for determining
                                              dealer participation in the opening                                                                           available interest. For instance, under
                                                                                                      whether a clearly erroneous execution
                                              transaction would be. Rule 123D                                                                               Rule 104(h), DMMs can engage in
                                                                                                      has occurred under Rule 128. In
                                              Mandatory Indications are published to                                                                        conditional transactions that establish
                                                                                                      addition, as the Exchange noted in a
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                                              the Consolidated Tape.                                                                                        or increase a position and that reach
                                                                                                      different context,20 as the marketplace
                                                 Importantly, all Rule 123D Mandatory                                                                       across the market without restriction
                                              Indications require the supervision and                 has become more electronic, DMM units
                                              approval of a Floor Official. Rule 123D                   19 See
                                                                                                                                                              21 For instance, in May 2015, the quoted spread
                                                                                                                Release No. 56209, supra note 8 at 45291.   on the NYSE for stocks below $20 a share was
                                              approvals are therefore similar to Rule                    20 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71360   $0.048; the quoted spread for stocks above $20 was
                                              79A.20 approvals. In fact, almost half of               (January 21, 2014), 79 FR 4366, 4367 (January 27,     $0.466. For all NYSE-listed securities, the quoted
                                              Floor Official approvals under Rule                     2014) (SR–NYSE–2014–02).                              spread in May 2015 was $0.314.



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                                              50368                      Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 160 / Wednesday, August 19, 2015 / Notices

                                              provided such transactions are followed                 manipulative acts and practices,                      C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                              by appropriate re-entry on the opposite                 promote just and equitable principles of              Statement on Comments on the
                                              side of the market commensurate with                    trade, remove impediments to and                      Proposed Rule Change Received From
                                              the size of the DMM’s transaction.22 The                perfect the mechanism of a free and                   Members, Participants, or Others
                                              Exchange issues guidelines, called price                open market and a national market
                                              participation points (‘‘PPP’’), that                    system, and protect investors and the                   No written comments were solicited
                                              identify the price at or before which a                 public interest. In particular, the                   or received with respect to the proposed
                                              DMM is expected to re-enter the market                  Exchange believes that eliminating Rule               rule change.
                                              after effecting a conditional                           79A.20 would remove impediments to                    III. Date of Effectiveness of the
                                              transaction.23 DMM trading activity on                  and perfect the mechanism of a free and               Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
                                              the Exchange is actively monitored for                  open market and a national market                     Commission Action
                                              compliance with each of these                           system by eliminating redundant
                                              obligations.                                            approvals from the remaining manual                      The Exchange has filed the proposed
                                                 The Exchange believes that the                       processes at the open and close of                    rule change pursuant to section
                                              availability and dissemination of Order                 trading. The Exchange believes that                   19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act 27 and Rule
                                              Imbalance Information, Rule 15                          eliminating Rule 79A.20 approvals                     19b–4(f)(6) thereunder.28 Because the
                                              Indications and 123D Mandatory                          would not be inconsistent with the                    proposed rule change does not: (i)
                                              Indications, together with the DMM’s                    public interest and the protection of                 Significantly affect the protection of
                                              existing affirmative and other                          investors because the transparency                    investors or the public interest; (ii)
                                              obligations pursuant to Rule 104,                       surrounding the open and close and the                impose any significant burden on
                                              provide an appropriate framework in                     information available to the marketplace              competition; and (iii) become operative
                                              today’s market structure for ensuring                   enables investors and the public to                   prior to 30 days from the date on which
                                              that opening or closing transactions that               assess whether a security would open or               it was filed, or such shorter time as the
                                              occur at a price significantly away from                close outside the one or two point                    Commission may designate, if
                                              the last sale price are communicated to                 parameter, thereby obviating the need                 consistent with the protection of
                                              all market participants. In particular,                 for a single Floor Official to oversight              investors and the public interest, the
                                              because of this transparency, the open                  the open and close. Further, the                      proposed rule change has become
                                              and close are subject to greater scrutiny               Exchange believes that eliminating Rule               effective pursuant to section 19(b)(3)(A)
                                              by all market participants, which in of                 79A.20 approvals would not be                         of the Act and Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii)
                                              itself serves as a check on where a DMM                 inconsistent with the public interest and             thereunder.
                                              opens or closes a security. The                         the protection of investors because other                A proposed rule change filed under
                                              Exchange therefore believes that the                    safeguards will remain in place to                    Rule 19b–4(f)(6) 29 normally does not
                                              need for a Floor Official to review a                   ensure that DMMs maintain appropriate                 become operative prior to 30 days after
                                              DMM’s actions at the open or close,                     price continuity and depth and do not                 the date of the filing. However, pursuant
                                              which was adopted in a time when                        transact at unduly wide price variations,             to Rule 19b4(f)(6)(iii),30 the Commission
                                              there was no market-wide transparency                   thereby establishing substantially the                may designate a shorter time if such
                                              regarding pricing of the open or close,                 same result. As noted above, pursuant to              action is consistent with the protection
                                              is redundant of existing oversight of the               Rule 123D, Floor Officials would remain
                                                                                                                                                            of investors and the public interest.
                                              open and close.                                         involved in supervising when the open
                                                                                                      would occur at a price significantly                     At any time within 60 days of the
                                                 For all of these reasons, the Exchange                                                                     filing of such proposed rule change, the
                                              believes that requiring separate Floor                  away from the last sale, which is when
                                                                                                      the majority of Rule 79A.20 approvals                 Commission summarily may
                                              Official approvals for one and two                                                                            temporarily suspend such rule change if
                                              dollar price movements is no longer                     currently occur, and DMM trading will
                                                                                                      also remain subject to Exchange rules,                it appears to the Commission that such
                                              necessary.                                                                                                    action is necessary or appropriate in the
                                                 The Exchange also proposes to delete                 including the obligation to maintain a
                                                                                                      fair and orderly market under Rule 104.               public interest, for the protection of
                                              references to Rule 79A.20 from Rules                                                                          investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
                                                                                                         The Exchange further believes that
                                              48, 80C and 9217. In the case of Rule 48,                                                                     the purposes of the Act. If the
                                                                                                      deleting corresponding references to
                                              the reference to be removed would be to                                                                       Commission takes such action, the
                                                                                                      Rule 79A.20 in other rules would
                                              Rule 79A.30. Rule 48 was not updated                    remove impediments to and perfects the                Commission shall institute proceedings
                                              when the text of the Rule was moved                     mechanism of a free and open market by                under section 19(b)(2)(B) 31 of the Act to
                                              from Supplementary Material .30 to                      reducing potential confusion and                      determine whether the proposed rule
                                              .20.24 The Exchange believes these                      adding transparency and clarity to the                change should be approved or
                                              proposed changes will add transparency                  Exchange’s rules, thereby ensuring that               disapproved.
                                              and clarity to the Exchange’s rules.                    members, regulators and the public can                IV. Solicitation of Comments
                                              2. Statutory Basis                                      more easily navigate and understand the
                                                                                                      Exchange’s rulebook.                                    Interested persons are invited to
                                                The Exchange believes that the
                                              proposed rule change is consistent with                 B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                     submit written data, views, and
                                              section 6(b) of the Act,25 in general, and              Statement on Burden on Competition                    arguments concerning the foregoing,
                                              furthers the objectives of section 6(b)(5)                                                                    including whether the proposed rule
                                                                                                         The Exchange does not believe that                 change is consistent with the Act.
                                              of the Act,26 in particular, because it is              the proposed rule change will impose
                                              designed to prevent fraudulent and                                                                            Comments may be submitted by any of
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                                                                                                      any burden on competition that is not                 the following methods:
                                                22 See Rule 104(h)(iii). Immediate re-entry is
                                                                                                      necessary or appropriate in furtherance
                                              required after certain Conditional Transactions.
                                                                                                      of the purposes of the Act. The                         27 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
                                                23 See NYSE Rule 104(h)(iii)(A).                      proposed rule change is not intended to                 28 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
                                                24 See note 11 supra.                                 address competitive issues but rather to                29 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
                                                25 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).                                  eliminate redundant approvals of                        30 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6)(iii).
                                                26 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).                               manual trades on its trading Floor.                     31 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).




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                                                                           Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 160 / Wednesday, August 19, 2015 / Notices                                            50369

                                              Electronic Comments                                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                               HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING:      An
                                                                                                        COMMISSION                                            order granting the requested relief will
                                                • Use the Commission’s Internet                                                                               be issued unless the Commission orders
                                              comment form (http://www.sec.gov/                         [Investment Company Act Release No.                   a hearing. Interested persons may
                                              rules/sro.shtml); or                                      31760; 812–14500]                                     request a hearing by writing to the
                                                • Send an email to rule-comments@                       Nile Capital Investment Trust, et al.;                Commission’s Secretary and serving
                                              sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–                   Notice of Application                                 applicants with a copy of the request,
                                              NYSE–2015–33 on the subject line.                                                                               personally or by mail. Hearing requests
                                                                                                        August 13, 2015.                                      should be received by the Commission
                                              Paper Comments                                            AGENCY:    Securities and Exchange                    by 5:30 p.m. on September 8, 2015, and
                                                                                                        Commission (‘‘Commission’’).                          should be accompanied by proof of
                                                • Send paper comments in triplicate
                                                                                                        ACTION: Notice of an application for an               service on applicants, in the form of an
                                              to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
                                                                                                        order under section 6(c) of the                       affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of
                                              Commission, 100 F Street NE.,                                                                                   service. Pursuant to rule 0–5 under the
                                              Washington, DC 20549–1090.                                Investment Company Act of 1940
                                                                                                        (‘‘Act’’) for an exemption from sections              Act, hearing requests should state the
                                              All submissions should refer to File                      2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the             nature of the writer’s interest, any facts
                                              Number SR–NYSE–2015–33. This file                         Act and rule 22c–1 under the Act, under               bearing upon the desirability of a
                                              number should be included on the                          sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an             hearing on the matter, the reason for the
                                              subject line if email is used. To help the                exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and                  request, and the issues contested.
                                              Commission process and review your                        (a)(2) of the Act, and under section                  Persons who wish to be notified of a
                                              comments more efficiently, please use                     12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for an exemption               hearing may request notification by
                                              only one method. The Commission will                      from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the              writing to the Commission’s Secretary.
                                              post all comments on the Commission’s                     Act.                                                  ADDRESSES: The Commission: Brent J.
                                              Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/                                                                          Fields, Secretary, U.S. Securities and
                                              rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the                           APPLICANTS:   Nile Capital Investment                 Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
                                              submission, all subsequent                                Trust (the ‘‘Trust’’), Nile Capital                   Washington, DC 20549–1090.
                                              amendments, all written statements                        Management, LLC (the ‘‘Manager’’) and                 Applicants: Nile Capital Investment
                                                                                                        Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the                Trust and Nile Capital Management,
                                              with respect to the proposed rule
                                                                                                        ‘‘Distributor’’).                                     LLC, 116 Village Blvd., Suite #306,
                                              change that are filed with the
                                                                                                        SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicants                    Princeton, NJ 08540, and Northern
                                              Commission, and all written                                                                                     Lights Distributors, LLC, 17605 Wright
                                              communications relating to the                            request an order (‘‘Order’’) that permits:
                                                                                                        (a) Actively managed series of certain                St., Omaha, NB 68130.
                                              proposed rule change between the
                                                                                                        open-end management investment                        FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                                              Commission and any person, other than
                                                                                                        companies to issue shares (‘‘Shares’’)                Diane L. Titus, Paralegal Specialist, or
                                              those that may be withheld from the                                                                             Dalia Osman Blass, Assistant Chief
                                                                                                        redeemable in large aggregations only
                                              public in accordance with the                                                                                   Counsel, at (202) 551–6821 (Division of
                                                                                                        (‘‘Creation Units’’); (b) secondary market
                                              provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be                                                                             Investment Management, Chief
                                                                                                        transactions in Shares to occur at the
                                              available for Web site viewing and                        next-determined net asset value plus or               Counsel’s Office).
                                              printing in the Commission’s Public                       minus a market-determined premium or                  SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
                                              Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,                         discount that may vary during the                     following is a summary of the
                                              Washington, DC 20549, on official                         trading day; (c) certain series to pay                application. The complete application
                                              business days between the hours of                        redemption proceeds, under certain                    may be obtained via the Commission’s
                                              10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such                   circumstances, more than seven days                   Web site by searching for the file
                                              filing also will be available for                         from the tender of Shares for                         number, or for an applicant using the
                                              inspection and copying at the principal                   redemption; (d) certain affiliated                    Company name box, at http://
                                              office of the Exchange. All comments                      persons of the series to deposit                      www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by
                                              received will be posted without change;                   securities into, and receive securities               calling (202) 551–8090.
                                              the Commission does not edit personal                     from, the series in connection with the
                                                                                                                                                              Applicants
                                              identifying information from                              purchase and redemption of Creation
                                              submissions. You should submit only                       Units; (e) certain registered management                1. The Trust is registered as an open-
                                              information that you wish to make                         investment companies and unit                         end management investment company
                                              available publicly. All submissions                       investment trusts outside of the same                 under the Act and is a statutory trust
                                              should refer to File Number SR–NYSE–                      group of investment companies as the                  organized under the laws of Delaware.
                                              2015–33 and should be submitted on or                     series to acquire Shares; and (f) certain             Applicants seek relief with respect to
                                              before September 9, 2015.                                 series to create and redeem Shares in                 two Funds (as defined below, and those
                                                                                                        kind in a master-feeder structure. The                Funds, the ‘‘Initial Funds’’). The
                                                For the Commission, by the Division of                  Order would incorporate by reference                  portfolio positions of each Fund will
                                              Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated                                                                      consist of securities and other assets
                                                                                                        terms and conditions of a previous order
                                              authority.32                                                                                                    selected and managed by its Adviser or
                                                                                                        granting the same relief sought by
                                              Brent J. Fields,                                          applicants, as that order may be                      Subadviser (as defined below) to pursue
                                              Secretary.                                                amended from time to time (‘‘Reference                the Fund’s investment objective.
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                                              [FR Doc. 2015–20416 Filed 8–18–15; 8:45 am]               Order’’).1                                              2. The Adviser, a limited liability
                                              BILLING CODE 8011–01–P                                    FILING DATE: The application was filed
                                                                                                                                                              company organized under the laws of
                                                                                                        on June 29, 2015.                                     Delaware, will be the investment
                                                                                                                                                              adviser to the Initial Funds. An Adviser
                                                                                                          1 Eaton Vance Management, et al., Investment        (as defined below) will serve as
                                                                                                        Company Act Rel. Nos. 31333 (Nov. 6, 2014)            investment adviser to each Fund. The
                                                32 17   CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).                            (notice) and 31361 (Dec. 2, 2014) (order).            Adviser is, and any other Adviser will


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Document Created: 2015-12-15 11:59:03
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 11:59:03
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
FR Citation80 FR 50365 

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