82_FR_35157 82 FR 35014 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Exchange Rules 4702 and 4754 To Enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross

82 FR 35014 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Exchange Rules 4702 and 4754 To Enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 143 (July 27, 2017)

Page Range35014-35019
FR Document2017-15775

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 143 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 143 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35014-35019]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15775]



[[Page 35014]]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-81188; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2017-061]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; 
Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Exchange Rules 4702 
and 4754 To Enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross

July 21, 2017.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that 
on July 13, 2017, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (``Nasdaq'' or 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``SEC'' or ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in 
Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. 
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\ 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 4702 (Order Types) and Rule 
4754 (Nasdaq Closing Cross) to enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross by 
permitting members to submit LOC Orders until immediately prior to 3:55 
p.m. ET subject to certain conditions, and to make other changes 
related to Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders.
    The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's 
Web site at http://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.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 Exchange 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 these 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 aspects of such 
statements.

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

1. Purpose
    The purpose of the proposed rule change is to amend Rule 4702 
(Order Types) and Rule 4754 (Nasdaq Closing Cross) to enhance the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross by permitting members to submit Limit On Close 
(``LOC'') Orders \3\ after the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff, and to make 
other changes related to Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders. As 
proposed, LOC Orders entered after the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff and 
immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET will be accepted to participate in 
the Nasdaq Closing Cross provided that certain conditions are met. The 
Nasdaq Closing Cross is the process for determining the price at which 
orders shall be executed at the close and for executing those 
orders.\4\ The Exchange believes that permitting members to enter LOC 
Orders later in the trading day will encourage additional participation 
in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, thereby reducing Imbalances,\5\ and 
increasing the quality of the cross. Furthermore, the Exchange believes 
that the other changes related to Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders 
will align the Exchange's on-close order handling with member 
expectations and the characteristics of those order types.
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    \3\ A ``Limit On Close Order'' or ``LOC Order'' is an Order Type 
entered with a price that may be executed only in the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross, and only if the price determined by the Nasdaq Closing Cross 
is equal to or better than the price at which the LOC Order was 
entered. See Rule 4702(b)(12).
    \4\ See Rule 4754(a)(6).
    \5\ ``Imbalance'' means the number of shares of buy or sell MOC 
or LOC Orders that cannot be matched with other MOC or LOC, or IO 
Order shares at a particular price at any given time. See Rule 
4754(a)(2). The definition above includes rule corrections made in 
this proposed rule change.
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Background
    The Nasdaq Closing Cross provides a transparent auction process 
that determines a single price for the close. The price determined by 
the Nasdaq Closing Cross is also the Nasdaq Official Closing Price for 
stocks that participate in the cross. Members can submit LOC Orders, 
Market On Close (``MOC'') Orders,\6\ and Imbalance Only (``IO'') Orders 
\7\ that are available to participate in the Closing Cross along with 
other Close Eligible Interest.\8\ Today, MOC and LOC Orders may be 
entered, cancelled, and/or modified between 4:00 a.m. ET and 
immediately prior to 3:50 p.m. ET. IO Orders may be entered between 
4:00 a.m. ET until the time of execution of the Nasdaq Closing Cross, 
but may not be cancelled or modified at or after 3:50 p.m. ET (with 
limited exceptions to correct a legitimate error), and members can also 
enter other Close Eligible Interest on the continuous book up until the 
time of the cross. At 3:50 p.m. ET, the Exchange stops accepting MOC 
and LOC Orders and begins disseminating an Order Imbalance Indicator 
\9\ that contains information about the Closing Cross, including the 
Current Reference Price,\10\ the number of paired shares at that price, 
the size and side of any Imbalance, Near and Far Clearing Prices,\11\ 
and a market buy or market sell indicator.12 13 At 4:00 p.m. 
ET, the Exchange will execute the Nasdaq Closing Cross at a price 
determined in accordance with Rule 4754(b)(2),\14\ and disseminate the 
executions via the consolidated tape.\15\ To ensure the best experience 
for market

[[Page 35015]]

participants that trade in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, or use the Nasdaq 
Official Closing Price determined by the cross, the Exchange now 
proposes to introduce functionality that permits members to enter LOC 
Orders between the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff and immediately prior to 
3:55 p.m. ET. The proposed functionality is described in detail in the 
following sections of the proposed rule change.
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    \6\ A ``Market On Close Order'' or ``MOC Order'' is an Order 
Type entered without a price that may be executed only during the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross. See Rule 4702(b)(11).
    \7\ An ``Imbalance Only Order'' or ``IO Order'' is an Order 
entered with a price that may be executed only in the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross and only against MOC Orders or LOC Orders. See Rule 
4702(b)(13).
    \8\ ``Close Eligible Interest'' means any quotation or any order 
that may be entered into the system and designated with a time-in-
force of SDAY, SGTC, MDAY, MGTC, SHEX, or GTMC. See 4754(a)(1).
    \9\ ``Order Imbalance Indicator'' means a message disseminated 
by electronic means containing information about MOC, LOC, IO, and 
Close Eligible Interest and the price at which those orders would 
execute at the time of dissemination.
    \10\ ``Current Reference Price'' means: (i) The single price 
that is at or within the current Nasdaq Market Center best bid and 
offer at which the maximum number of shares of MOC, LOC, and IO 
orders can be paired. (ii) If more than one price exists under 
subparagraph (i), the Current Reference Price shall mean the price 
that minimizes any Imbalance. (iii) If more than one price exists 
under subparagraph (ii), the Current Reference Price shall mean the 
entered price at which shares will remain unexecuted in the cross. 
(iv) If more than one price exists under subparagraph (iii), the 
Current Reference Price shall mean the price that minimizes the 
distance from the bid-ask midpoint of the inside quotation 
prevailing at the time of the order imbalance indicator 
dissemination. See Rule 4754(a)(7)(A). The definition above includes 
rule corrections made in this proposed rule change.
    \11\ The Near Clearing Price and Far Clearing Price are 
indicative prices at which the Nasdaq Closing Cross would occur if 
it were to occur at that time. Specifically, the ``Far Clearing 
Price'' is the price at which MOC, LOC, and IO Orders would execute, 
and the ``Near Clearing Price'' is the price at which MOC, LOC, IO, 
and Close Eligible Interest would execute. See Rule 
4754(a)(7)(E)(i)-(ii).
    \12\ An indicator for ``market buy'' or ``market sell'' is 
disseminated if marketable buy (sell) shares would remain unexecuted 
above (below) the Near Clearing Price or Far Clearing Price. See 
Rule 4754(a)(7)(E)(iii).
    \13\ See Rules 4754(a)(7), (b)(1). The Exchange disseminates the 
Order Imbalance Indicator every 5 seconds beginning at 3:50 p.m. ET 
until market close.
    \14\ See Rule 4754(b)(2). Orders and quotes executed in the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross are allocated based on the priority described 
in Rule 4754(b)(3).
    \15\ See Rule 4754(b)(4).
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Acceptance of LOC Orders
    The Nasdaq Closing Cross was designed to create a robust close that 
allows for efficient price discovery through a transparent auction 
process. To permit additional interest to participate in the Nasdaq 
Closing Cross, and increase the quality of the cross, the Exchange 
proposes to allow LOC Orders to be entered until immediately prior to 
3:55 p.m. ET in certain circumstances. Specifically, the Exchange 
proposes to allow LOC Orders to be entered between 3:50 p.m. ET and 
immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET if there is a Current Reference Price 
in the first Order Imbalance Indicator disseminated at or after 3:50 
p.m. ET (``First Reference Price'').\16\ The presence of a First 
Reference Price indicates that there is matched buy and sell interest 
that is eligible to participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross. When there 
is matched interest available to participate in the close, the Exchange 
believes that allowing members to continue to enter LOC Orders after 
the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff will facilitate a more efficient 
closing auction by allowing additional priced interest to participate 
in the close. When there is no First Reference Price, there is no 
matched buy and sell interest that is eligible to participate in the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross, and therefore no need to continue to accept LOC 
Orders. The Exchange believes that it is appropriate to allow members 
to enter LOC Orders later in the trading day where market conditions 
suggest that allowing additional interest to participate may serve to 
reduce Imbalances and increase the quality of the Nasdaq Closing Cross.
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    \16\ If there is no First Reference Price a value of zero will 
be disseminated in the first Order Imbalance Indicator. A value 
other than zero in this message indicates that there is a First 
Reference Price.
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Re-Pricing of LOC Orders
    While all LOC Orders must be entered with a limit price, the 
Exchange proposes to re-price LOC Orders entered after the current 3:50 
p.m. ET cutoff to the less aggressive of the order's limit price or the 
First Reference Price in order to prevent these orders from having a 
significant impact on the price established by the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross. Specifically, an LOC Order entered between 3:50 p.m. ET and 
immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET will be accepted at its limit price, 
unless its limit price is higher (lower) than the First Reference Price 
for an LOC Order to buy (sell), in which case the LOC Order will be re-
priced to the First Reference Price; provided that if the First 
Reference Price is not at a permissible minimum increment of $0.01 or 
$0.0001, as applicable, the First Reference Price will be rounded (i) 
to the nearest permitted minimum increment (with midpoint prices being 
rounded up) if there is no imbalance, (ii) up if there is a buy 
imbalance, or (iii) down if there is a sell imbalance.\17\ The Exchange 
proposes to use the First Reference Price to price these LOC Orders 
because they are designed to reduce Imbalances without having a 
significant impact on the price of the cross. For this reason, the 
Exchange will also only re-price these LOC Orders using the First 
Reference Price even when there is a newer Current Reference Price 
available, as re-pricing based on updated prices may decrease stability 
of the cross price, which is counter to the intent of this proposed 
rule change.
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    \17\ The Exchange proposes to use natural rounding when there is 
no imbalance. When there is an imbalance the Exchange will round 
such that more offsetting interest can participate. Thus, where 
there is a buy imbalance the Exchange will round the First Reference 
Price up to allow more sell interest to participate, and when there 
is a sell imbalance the Exchange will round the First Reference 
Price down to allow more buy interest to participate. For example, 
if there is a sell imbalance, a First Reference Price of $10.015 
would be rounded down to $10.01. Re-pricing based on a price of 
$10.01 would allow additional buy orders to offset the sell 
imbalance at that price when they may be excluded at a price of 
$10.02.
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Alternative Closing Procedures
    In addition to the Nasdaq Closing Cross described above, the 
Exchange operates an LULD Closing Cross and Primary Contingency 
Procedures that provide alternative processes for executing closing 
trades on Nasdaq.\18\ The LULD Closing Cross is employed when a Trading 
Pause pursuant to Rule 4120(a)(12) is triggered at or after 3:50 p.m. 
ET and before 4:00 p.m. ET.\19\ The Exchange proposes to specify in its 
rules that MOC, LOC, and IO Orders intended for the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross entered into the system and placed on the book prior to the 
Trading Pause will remain on the book to participate in the LULD 
Closing Cross. With this change, LOC Orders that are now available to 
be entered after the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff will be able to 
participate in the LULD Closing Cross. When the Exchange is conducting 
an LULD Closing Cross, LOC Orders would be eligible to be entered until 
the earlier of the Trading Pause and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. 
ET.\20\ In addition, the rule will be amended to correctly state that 
all IO Orders that are entered prior to the Trading Pause will 
participate in the LULD Closing Cross, instead of only those IO Orders 
entered prior to 3:50 p.m. ET, which is consistent with current 
functionality.\21\ The Exchange's intent has always been to include all 
MOC, LOC, and IO Orders that are entered and accepted in the LULD 
Closing Cross. Similarly, the Exchange's rules also provide for Primary 
Contingency Procedures in the event that a disruption occurs that 
prevents the execution of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. In such instances, 
the Exchange segregates MOC and LOC Orders entered prior to 3:50 p.m. 
ET and IO Orders entered prior to 4:00 p.m. ET for participation in the 
Contingency Closing Cross. Since members will be able to submit LOC 
Orders up to immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET, the Exchange proposes 
to amend its rule for Primary Contingency Procedures to provide that 
LOC Orders entered prior to 3:55 p.m. ET are eligible to participate. 
Finally, to ensure a fair and orderly market, the Exchange employs 
certain Auxiliary Procedures when significant trading volume is 
expected at the close of market hours. Although the Exchange is not 
proposing any substantive changes to its Auxiliary Procedures, it is 
correcting an incorrect cross reference in that rule. In particular, 
Rule 4754(b)(5)(D) provides that the

[[Page 35016]]

Exchange can adjust the threshold value set forth in subparagraph 
(c)(2)(D) to no greater than 20 percent when Auxiliary Procedures are 
employed. The Exchange proposes to correct this cross reference, which 
should instead point to subparagraph (b)(2)(E), which provides that if 
the Nasdaq Closing Cross price is outside benchmarks established by 
Nasdaq by a threshold amount, the cross will occur at the price within 
those thresholds that best satisfies to [sic] other conditions of the 
rule.
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    \18\ The Exchange also employs Secondary Contingency Procedures, 
which are available if both the standard procedures and the Primary 
Contingency Procedures are unavailable. The Exchange is not 
proposing any changes to the Secondary Contingency Procedures as 
these procedures do not involve the execution of closing trades on 
Nasdaq. See Rule 4754(b)(8).
    \19\ A recently approved but not yet operative proposed rule 
change amends this section to provide that the LULD Closing Cross is 
employed when a Trading Pause pursuant to Rule 4120(a)(12) exists at 
or after 3:50 p.m. ET and before 4:00 p.m. ET. See Securities 
Exchange Act Release No. 79876 (January 25, 2017), 82 FR 8888 
(January 31, 2017) (SR-NASDAQ-2016-131). The discussion in this 
proposed rule change is based on currently implemented 
functionality.
    \20\ The Exchange also proposes to remove a reference in Rule 
4754(b)(6)(C)(iii) that states that MOC or LOC Orders ``may not be 
submitted after 3:50.'' This conforming change is being made because 
members will now be permitted to submit LOC orders that would 
participate in the LULD Closing Cross if entered prior to the 
earlier of the Trading Pause and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET 
as discussed in this filing.
    \21\ MOC Orders entered after 3:50 p.m. ET will continue to be 
rejected, and therefore would not be eligible for the LULD Closing 
Cross. See Rule 4702(b)(11)(A).
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Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders
    The Exchange also proposes to make two changes with respect to 
Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders: (1) To clarify handling of certain 
order types that are not eligible to participate in the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross as Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders, and to add Market Maker 
Peg Orders to that list; and (2) to remove language regarding 
conversion of Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders entered between 3:50 
p.m. ET and the time of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. A Closing Cross/
Extended Hours Order is an order that is flagged to participate in the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross and entered with a time-in-force that continues 
after the cross. Such orders are typically treated as LOC Orders for 
participation in the Nasdaq Closing Cross and then operate pursuant to 
their order type and attributes.
    Today, Rule 4702(b)(12)(B) states that, following the Nasdaq 
Closing Cross, a Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order may not operate as 
a Post-Only Order, Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order, Supplemental Order, 
Retail Order, or RPI Order. As written, this rule could be interpreted 
as implying that a member could enter these order types with an on-
close instruction and would participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross and 
thereafter not be eligible for extended hours trading. In fact, 
although these orders are eligible to participate in the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross when entered on the continuous book, Post-Only Orders, Midpoint 
Peg Post-Only Orders, Supplemental Orders, and Retail Orders, cannot be 
entered with a flag designating an on-close instruction, and therefore 
cannot operate as a Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order. Furthermore, 
RPI Orders are not currently offered on the Exchange. The Exchange 
therefore proposes to clarify the rule so that it is more transparent 
to members that a Post-Only Order, Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order, 
Supplemental Order, or Retail Order, may not operate as a Closing 
Cross/Extend Hours Order. In addition, the rule states that, in the 
case of a Market Maker Peg Order entered prior to 3:50 p.m. ET that is 
also designated to participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, the price 
of the Order for purposes of operating as an LOC Order will be 
established on entry and will not thereafter be pegged until after the 
completion of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. While this is consistent with 
current system behavior, the Exchange no longer believes that Market 
Maker Peg Orders should be eligible to be entered with a flag 
designating an on-close instruction, and thereby designated as Closing 
Cross/Extended Hours Orders, similar to the other order types mentioned 
above. Furthermore, members do not typically enter these orders with 
such an instruction. The Exchange therefore proposes to specify that a 
Market Maker Peg Order may not operate as a Closing Cross/Extended 
Hours Order.
    Rule 4702(b)(12)(B) also states that a Closing Cross/Extended Hours 
Order that is entered between 3:50 p.m. ET and the time of the Nasdaq 
Closing Cross is (i) rejected if it has been assigned a Pegging 
Attribute, (ii) treated as an IO Order and then entered into the System 
after the completion of the Nasdaq Closing Cross if entered through 
RASH, QIX, or FIX but not assigned a Pegging Attribute, and (iii) 
treated as an IO Order and cancelled after the Nasdaq Closing Cross if 
entered through OUCH or FLITE. The Exchange now believes that members 
would be better served by functionality that does not convert these 
Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders to IO Orders and therefore proposes 
to remove the language in (ii) and (iii) above from its rules.\22\ The 
Exchange believes that this change is more consistent with member's 
expectations when entering orders that are expected to trade as LOC 
Orders but would be converted to IO Orders in the system today. A 
Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order that is entered between 3:50 p.m. ET 
and the time of the Nasdaq Closing Cross will continue to be rejected 
pursuant to (i) above if it has been assigned a Pegging Attribute.
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    \22\ As an additional conforming change, the Exchange is also 
amending a reference in Rule 4702(b)(12)(B) that states that ``[a]ll 
other LOC Orders and Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders entered at 
or after 3:50 p.m. ET will be rejected'' to reflect the proposed 
time period for entering LOC Orders, which will now be until 
immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET.
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Order Imbalance Indicator
    As described in other parts of this filing, the Exchange 
disseminates an Order Imbalance Indicator beginning at 3:50 p.m. ET 
that includes several data elements to provide information about the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross to market participants. These data elements 
include the Current Reference Price and the number of shares that are 
paired at the Current Reference Price. Currently, the rule states that 
the Current Reference Price is based on the single price that is at or 
within the current Nasdaq Market Center best bid and offer at which the 
maximum number of shares of MOC, LOC, IO and Close Eligible Interest 
can be paired (with certain tie-breakers if multiple prices meet this 
criterion). In addition, the rule states that the paired shares data 
element indicates the number of shares represented by MOC, LOC, IO and 
Close Eligible Interest that are paired at the Current Reference Price. 
The Exchange notes, however, that the Order Imbalance Indicator has 
never included Close Eligible Interest in determining the Current 
Reference Price or the number of paired shares at that price. The 
Exchange therefore proposes to amend this rule to state that the 
Exchange will disseminate a Current Reference Price based on the single 
price that is at or within the current Nasdaq Market Center best bid 
and offer at which the maximum number of shares of MOC, LOC, and IO 
orders can be paired, and a paired share count based on the number of 
shares represented by MOC, LOC, and IO Orders that are paired at the 
Current Reference Price. With these changes, Rule 4754(a)(7)(B) will 
correctly reflect the information disseminated to market participants. 
In addition, the Exchange notes that Rule 4752(a)(2)(B) contains a 
similar error in including Open Eligible Interest in the Current 
Reference Price calculation and paired share count for the Nasdaq 
Opening Cross. The Exchange therefore proposes to correct that rule as 
well. With these changes, Rule 4752(a)(2)(B) will correctly indicate 
that the Exchange will disseminate a Current Reference Price based on 
the single price that is at or within the current Nasdaq Market Center 
best bid and offer at which the maximum number of shares of MOO, LOO, 
OIO, and Early Market Hours orders can be paired, and a paired share 
count based on the number of shares represented by MOO, LOO, OIO, and 
Early Market Hours orders that are paired at the Current Reference 
Price.
    Finally, the Order Imbalance Indicator includes the size of any 
Imbalance. Currently, Imbalance is defined in Rule 4754(a)(2) as ``the 
number of shares of buy or sell MOC or LOC Orders that cannot be 
matched with other MOC or LOC, Close Eligible Interest or IO Order 
shares at a particular price at any given time.'' Although the rule 
states that

[[Page 35017]]

Close Eligible Interest is used when determining an Imbalance, in 
practice, similar to the Current Reference Price calculation and paired 
share count described above, the Imbalance calculation has never 
included Close Eligible Interest. The Exchange therefore proposes to 
remove the incorrect reference to Close Eligible Interest in the rule. 
As proposed, Imbalance will be correctly defined as ``the number of 
shares of buy or sell MOC or LOC Orders that cannot be matched with 
other MOC or LOC, or IO Order shares at a particular price at any given 
time.'' In addition, the Exchange notes that Rule 4752(a)(1) contains a 
similar error in including Open Eligible Interest in the Imbalance 
calculation for the Nasdaq Opening Cross. The Exchange therefore 
proposes to correct that rule as well. With this change, Rule 
4752(a)(1) will correctly define an Imbalance for the Nasdaq Opening 
Cross as ``the number of shares of buy or sell MOO, LOO or Early Market 
Hours orders that may not be matched with other MOO, LOO, Early Market 
Hours, or OIO order shares at a particular price at any given time.''
Implementation
    The Exchange proposes to launch the functionality described in this 
proposed rule change in either Q3 or Q4 2017 pursuant to a symbol-by-
symbol rollout. The Exchange will announce the implementation date of 
this functionality and the symbol rollout in an Equity Trader Alert 
issued to members prior to the launch date.
2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with Section 6(b) of the Act,\23\ in general, and furthers the 
objectives of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\24\ in particular, in that it 
is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to 
remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open 
market and a national market system, and, in general to protect 
investors and the public interest.
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    \23\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \24\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    The Exchange believes that the introduction of the proposed LOC 
Order functionality will remove impediments to and perfect the 
mechanism of a free and open market as this proposed change is designed 
to increase the quality of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. The Nasdaq Closing 
Cross provides an industry-leading, transparent price discovery process 
that aggregates a large pool of liquidity, across a variety of order 
types, in a single venue. The Exchange believes that increasing 
participation in the Nasdaq Closing Cross by offering the proposed LOC 
Order enhancement will further promote price discovery and 
participation at the close by allowing additional priced interest to be 
submitted for the close. In addition to providing a mechanism for 
members to execute closing interest, the Nasdaq Closing Cross also 
generates a closing price that is used widely throughout the industry 
for a variety of purposes including index and mutual fund valuations. 
The Exchange therefore believes that it is important to ensure that the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross provides the best possible experience for members 
and investors that rely on the cross and the closing prices it 
generates.
    Allowing members to enter LOC Orders later in the trading day will 
enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross by increasing participation, and 
reducing the frequency of Imbalances that may increase volatility of 
the closing cross price. Currently, members that have interest to 
execute at the closing price have more limited options in submitting 
that interest after 3:50 p.m. ET when the time window for entering MOC 
and LOC Orders has closed. Specifically, these members must either 
submit IO Orders, which do not trade if there is no Imbalance and do 
not maintain price priority since they are continuously re-priced to 
the best bid or offer, or must submit regular orders to the continuous 
book, where they may execute before the cross begins. Member feedback 
has indicated that a longer period for the entry of LOC Orders would be 
beneficial for firms that participate in the close. The proposed 
functionality would allow firms to maintain price standing when 
providing liquidity intended for the Nasdaq Closing Cross, allowing 
potentially better trading outcomes for firms, and thereby encouraging 
additional interest to participate in the cross. The proposed rule 
change is therefore likely to improve price discovery and the stability 
of the Nasdaq Closing Cross to the benefit of all market participants. 
The Exchange believes that the proposed 3:55 p.m. ET cutoff for 
submitting LOC Orders appropriately balances the need for members to 
submit interest for the Nasdaq Closing Cross later in the trading day 
with the need for a stable cross.
    Since the proposed functionality is designed to reduce Imbalances 
and create a more efficient cross, the Exchange will only accept these 
orders where there is a First Reference Price. As previously explained, 
the presence of a First Reference Price indicates that there is matched 
interest that is eligible to participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross. 
The Exchange believes that this is when it is most helpful to allow 
additional interest intended for the cross as new LOC Orders can be 
used to decrease Imbalances and facilitate a more efficient closing 
auction to the benefit of members and investors. The proposed 
functionality has been designed to reduce Imbalances that may exist 
during the closing process, and is not intended to create Imbalances 
where there is no interest that is eligible to participate in the 
cross. Thus, the Exchange believes that accepting LOC Orders between 
3:50 p.m. ET and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET only when there is a 
First Reference Price is consistent with the protection of investors 
and the public interest. The Exchange believes that it is appropriate 
to allow members to enter LOC Orders until immediately prior to 3:55 
p.m. ET where market conditions suggest that allowing additional 
interest to participate may serve to reduce Imbalances and increase the 
quality of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. Furthermore, if members wish to 
have their LOC Orders participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross 
regardless of whether there is a First Reference Price they can 
continue to enter that interest prior to 3:50 p.m. ET.
    To ensure more price stability in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, the 
Exchange is also proposing to re-price LOC Orders entered after 3:50 
p.m. ET to the First Reference Price in circumstances where the order's 
limit price is more aggressive than the First Reference Price. The 
Exchange believes that re-pricing LOC Orders entered after the regular 
cutoff is consistent with just and equitable principles of trade 
because the proposed functionality is designed to reduce Imbalances 
without having a significant impact on the price determined by the 
cross. At the time it is disseminated, the First Reference Price 
represents the price, bounded by the continuous market, where the 
maximum number of on-close shares can be paired. The Exchange believes 
that it is appropriate to re-price to this price, provided that it is 
within the order's limit price. This will allow orders to coalesce 
around this price, creating additional liquidity, and potentially 
reducing Imbalances. Furthermore, to the extent that members do not 
want their LOC Orders re-priced, they can continue to submit LOC Orders 
before the 3:50 p.m. cutoff. Thus, the Exchange believes that it is 
consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest to 
re-price LOC Orders

[[Page 35018]]

entered after 3:50 p.m. ET such that they contribute to available 
interest eligible to participate in the cross, without the potential to 
significantly increase volatility in the closing cross price.
    The Exchange also believes that it is consistent with the public 
interest and the protection of investors to allow LOC Orders entered 
after the regular 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff to participate in the LULD 
Closing Cross and Primary Contingency Procedures. The LULD Closing 
Cross is employed by the Exchange when a Trading Pause is triggered at 
or after 3:50 p.m. ET and before 4:00 p.m. ET, and today includes LOC 
Orders submitted prior to the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff. With the 
proposed changes to allow members to submit LOC Orders later in the 
trading day, LOC Orders entered after the regular 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff 
will also be permitted to trade in the LULD Closing Cross provided that 
they have been entered into the system and placed on the book prior to 
the pause.\25\ IO Orders that are entered prior to the Trading Pause 
are also eligible to trade in the LULD Closing Cross today, and the 
changes being made to that section reflect this. The Exchange believes 
that the changes with respect to IO Orders are consistent with public 
interest and protection of investors as this change is being made to 
avoid member confusion about what interest is eligible for the LULD 
Closing Cross in the event that this procedure is used by the Exchange. 
Similarly, the Primary Contingency Procedures are employed when a 
disruption occurs that prevents the execution of the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross, and today also includes LOC Orders entered prior to 3:50 p.m. 
ET. Since LOC Orders may now be accepted later in the trading day, 
those orders will now also be allowed to participate in the Primary 
Contingency Procedures. The Exchange believes that allowing these later 
LOC Orders to participate in the LULD Closing Cross and Primary 
Contingency Procedures will promote just and equitable principles of 
trade and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market. Finally, 
with respect to the changes for Auxiliary Procedures, the Exchange 
notes that it is only changing an incorrect cross reference, which will 
benefit members by ensuring that the Exchange's rulebook is accurate. 
No substantive changes are being made to this provision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ As noted previously in this filing, the Exchange is also 
removing a reference in Rule 4754(b)(6)(C)(iii) that states that MOC 
or LOC Orders ``may not be submitted after 3:50'' because members 
will now be permitted to submit LOC orders that would participate in 
the LULD Closing Cross if entered prior to the earlier of the 
Trading Pause and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Exchange also believes that the proposed changes related to 
Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders are consistent with the protection 
of investors and the public interest. With respect to handling of 
Market Maker Peg Orders entered with an on-close instruction, the 
Exchange believes that the proposed functionality, which is to reject 
the order, is more consistent with member expectations. The Exchange 
does not believe that members want functionality that allows Market 
Maker Peg Orders to be entered with a flag designating an on-close 
instruction and which would therefore operate as Closing Cross/Extended 
Hours Orders. Furthermore, this is consistent with the Exchange's 
review of this order type, which indicates that members enter this 
combination very rarely. Market Maker Peg Orders were designed to 
assist members in meeting their quoting obligations and not as a means 
of submitting interest flagged with an on-close instruction. The 
Exchange also believes that the other changes to this rule to clarify 
that a Post-Only Order, Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order, Supplemental 
Order, or Retail Order, may not operate as a Closing Cross/Extend Hours 
Order will benefit members by increasing transparency with respect to 
order handling. No changes are being made to the trading system to 
implement this change; this change merely clarifies current 
functionality offered on the Exchange. Finally, with respect to Closing 
Cross/Extended Hours Orders entered between 3:50 p.m. ET and the time 
of the Nasdaq Closing Cross, the Exchange believes that it is 
consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors to 
no longer offer functionality that converts these orders to IO Orders. 
With the proposed changes for LOC Orders, members will be able to enter 
LOC Orders up until 3:55 p.m. ET instead of the current 3:50 p.m. ET 
cutoff. After 3:55 p.m. ET, the Exchange believes that members would 
rather have their Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders rejected like 
other LOC Orders rather than treated as IO Orders, which do not trade 
if there is no Imbalance and do not maintain price priority since they 
are continuously re-priced to the best bid or offer. The Exchange 
therefore believes that the proposed change is designed to promote just 
and equitable principles of trade.
    Finally, the Exchange believes that the proposed changes related to 
the information disseminated in the Order Imbalance Indicator for both 
the closing and opening processes is consistent with the public 
interest and the protection of investors because these changes more 
accurately reflect the information currently disseminated. Today, the 
Order Imbalance Indicator for the Nasdaq Closing Cross does not include 
Close Eligible Interest in its calculation of the Current Reference 
Price or the paired share count. Similarly, the Order Imbalance 
Indicator for the Nasdaq Opening Cross does not include Open Eligible 
Interest for either of those data elements. In each case, the Exchange 
believes that it is more appropriate to exclude Close or Open Eligible 
Interest from the Current Reference Price calculation and paired share 
count disseminated to market participants as these orders may be 
executed in the continuous market before the closing or opening auction 
commences. The Exchange believes that updating its rule to accurately 
reflect the information disseminated to market participants will 
increase transparency surrounding these processes, and is therefore 
designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade. In 
addition, with respect to the definition of Imbalance, the Exchange 
notes that, similar to the Current Reference Price and paired share 
count, the Imbalance calculation does not include Close Eligible 
Interest for the Nasdaq Closing Cross or Open Eligible Interest for the 
Nasdaq Opening Cross. For the same reasons described above, the 
Exchange believes that it is appropriate to not include interest that 
could be executed in the continuous market prior to the closing or 
opening auction in the Imbalance calculation. The Exchange believes 
that updating these rules will increase transparency to the benefit of 
members and other market participants, and is therefore designed to 
promote just and equitable principles of trade.

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 not necessary or appropriate in 
furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange is enhancing the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross to benefit members and investors, and does not 
believe that the proposed rule change would impose any significant 
burden on competition. Today, the Nasdaq Closing Cross provides a 
transparent auction process for executing member interest at the close. 
The proposed rule change is designed to allow additional interest to 
participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, and thereby provide a more 
efficient process for executing closing interest, and enhancing price 
discovery during

[[Page 35019]]

the close. The Exchange believes that proposed functionality will 
enhance the experience for members that trade in the Nasdaq Closing 
Cross and the various market participants that use the prices 
discovered by the cross, and is evidence of the strong competition in 
the equities industry, where exchanges must continually improve their 
offerings to stay competitive.

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

    No written comments were either solicited or received.

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

    Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register or within such longer period up to 90 days (i) as the 
Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be 
appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to 
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
    (A) By order approve or disapprove such proposed rule change, or
    (B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule 
change should be disapproved.

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:

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-NASDAQ-2017-061 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-NASDAQ-2017-061. 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 the 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-NASDAQ-2017-061 and should 
be submitted on or before August 17, 2017.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\26\
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[FR Doc. 2017-15775 Filed 7-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P



                                                  35014                             Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices

                                                  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                                     A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                       Close Eligible Interest.8 Today, MOC
                                                  COMMISSION                                                  Statement of the Purpose of, and                        and LOC Orders may be entered,
                                                                                                              Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule                  cancelled, and/or modified between
                                                  [Release No. 34–81188; File No. SR–                         Change                                                  4:00 a.m. ET and immediately prior to
                                                  NASDAQ–2017–061]                                                                                                    3:50 p.m. ET. IO Orders may be entered
                                                                                                              1. Purpose
                                                                                                                                                                      between 4:00 a.m. ET until the time of
                                                  Self-Regulatory Organizations; The                             The purpose of the proposed rule                     execution of the Nasdaq Closing Cross,
                                                  NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of                          change is to amend Rule 4702 (Order                     but may not be cancelled or modified at
                                                  Filing of Proposed Rule Change To                           Types) and Rule 4754 (Nasdaq Closing                    or after 3:50 p.m. ET (with limited
                                                  Amend Exchange Rules 4702 and 4754                          Cross) to enhance the Nasdaq Closing                    exceptions to correct a legitimate error),
                                                  To Enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross                         Cross by permitting members to submit                   and members can also enter other Close
                                                                                                              Limit On Close (‘‘LOC’’) Orders 3 after                 Eligible Interest on the continuous book
                                                  July 21, 2017.                                              the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff, and to                 up until the time of the cross. At 3:50
                                                                                                              make other changes related to Closing                   p.m. ET, the Exchange stops accepting
                                                     Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the                                                                              MOC and LOC Orders and begins
                                                                                                              Cross/Extended Hours Orders. As
                                                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934                             proposed, LOC Orders entered after the                  disseminating an Order Imbalance
                                                  (‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2                     current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff and                         Indicator 9 that contains information
                                                  notice is hereby given that on July 13,                     immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET will                  about the Closing Cross, including the
                                                  2017, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC                           be accepted to participate in the Nasdaq                Current Reference Price,10 the number
                                                  (‘‘Nasdaq’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the                 Closing Cross provided that certain                     of paired shares at that price, the size
                                                  Securities and Exchange Commission                          conditions are met. The Nasdaq Closing                  and side of any Imbalance, Near and Far
                                                  (‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed                    Cross is the process for determining the                Clearing Prices,11 and a market buy or
                                                  rule change as described in Items I and                     price at which orders shall be executed                 market sell indicator.12 13 At 4:00 p.m.
                                                  II below, which Items have been                             at the close and for executing those                    ET, the Exchange will execute the
                                                  prepared by the Exchange. The                               orders.4 The Exchange believes that                     Nasdaq Closing Cross at a price
                                                  Commission is publishing this notice to                     permitting members to enter LOC                         determined in accordance with Rule
                                                  solicit comments on the proposed rule                       Orders later in the trading day will                    4754(b)(2),14 and disseminate the
                                                  change from interested persons.                             encourage additional participation in                   executions via the consolidated tape.15
                                                                                                              the Nasdaq Closing Cross, thereby                       To ensure the best experience for market
                                                  I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                  Statement of the Terms of Substance of                      reducing Imbalances,5 and increasing
                                                                                                                                                                         8 ‘‘Close Eligible Interest’’ means any quotation or
                                                  the Proposed Rule Change                                    the quality of the cross. Furthermore,
                                                                                                                                                                      any order that may be entered into the system and
                                                                                                              the Exchange believes that the other                    designated with a time-in-force of SDAY, SGTC,
                                                     The Exchange proposes to amend                           changes related to Closing Cross/                       MDAY, MGTC, SHEX, or GTMC. See 4754(a)(1).
                                                  Rule 4702 (Order Types) and Rule 4754                       Extended Hours Orders will align the                       9 ‘‘Order Imbalance Indicator’’ means a message

                                                                                                              Exchange’s on-close order handling                      disseminated by electronic means containing
                                                  (Nasdaq Closing Cross) to enhance the                                                                               information about MOC, LOC, IO, and Close
                                                  Nasdaq Closing Cross by permitting                          with member expectations and the                        Eligible Interest and the price at which those orders
                                                  members to submit LOC Orders until                          characteristics of those order types.                   would execute at the time of dissemination.
                                                                                                                                                                         10 ‘‘Current Reference Price’’ means: (i) The single
                                                  immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET                           Background                                              price that is at or within the current Nasdaq Market
                                                  subject to certain conditions, and to                                                                               Center best bid and offer at which the maximum
                                                  make other changes related to Closing                          The Nasdaq Closing Cross provides a                  number of shares of MOC, LOC, and IO orders can
                                                  Cross/Extended Hours Orders.                                transparent auction process that                        be paired. (ii) If more than one price exists under
                                                                                                              determines a single price for the close.                subparagraph (i), the Current Reference Price shall
                                                     The text of the proposed rule change                     The price determined by the Nasdaq                      mean the price that minimizes any Imbalance. (iii)
                                                  is available on the Exchange’s Web site                                                                             If more than one price exists under subparagraph
                                                                                                              Closing Cross is also the Nasdaq Official               (ii), the Current Reference Price shall mean the
                                                  at http://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com, at                      Closing Price for stocks that participate               entered price at which shares will remain
                                                  the principal office of the Exchange, and                   in the cross. Members can submit LOC                    unexecuted in the cross. (iv) If more than one price
                                                  at the Commission’s Public Reference                        Orders, Market On Close (‘‘MOC’’)                       exists under subparagraph (iii), the Current
                                                                                                                                                                      Reference Price shall mean the price that minimizes
                                                  Room.                                                       Orders,6 and Imbalance Only (‘‘IO’’)                    the distance from the bid-ask midpoint of the inside
                                                  II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                          Orders 7 that are available to participate              quotation prevailing at the time of the order
                                                                                                              in the Closing Cross along with other                   imbalance indicator dissemination. See Rule
                                                  Statement of the Purpose of, and                                                                                    4754(a)(7)(A). The definition above includes rule
                                                  Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule                        3 A ‘‘Limit On Close Order’’ or ‘‘LOC Order’’ is
                                                                                                                                                                      corrections made in this proposed rule change.
                                                                                                                                                                         11 The Near Clearing Price and Far Clearing Price
                                                  Change                                                      an Order Type entered with a price that may be          are indicative prices at which the Nasdaq Closing
                                                                                                              executed only in the Nasdaq Closing Cross, and          Cross would occur if it were to occur at that time.
                                                    In its filing with the Commission, the                    only if the price determined by the Nasdaq Closing      Specifically, the ‘‘Far Clearing Price’’ is the price at
                                                  Exchange included statements                                Cross is equal to or better than the price at which     which MOC, LOC, and IO Orders would execute,
                                                  concerning the purpose of and basis for                     the LOC Order was entered. See Rule 4702(b)(12).        and the ‘‘Near Clearing Price’’ is the price at which
                                                                                                                4 See Rule 4754(a)(6).                                MOC, LOC, IO, and Close Eligible Interest would
                                                  the proposed rule change and discussed                        5 ‘‘Imbalance’’ means the number of shares of buy     execute. See Rule 4754(a)(7)(E)(i)–(ii).
                                                  any comments it received on the                             or sell MOC or LOC Orders that cannot be matched           12 An indicator for ‘‘market buy’’ or ‘‘market sell’’
                                                  proposed rule change. The text of these                     with other MOC or LOC, or IO Order shares at a          is disseminated if marketable buy (sell) shares
                                                  statements may be examined at the                           particular price at any given time. See Rule            would remain unexecuted above (below) the Near
                                                  places specified in Item IV below. The                      4754(a)(2). The definition above includes rule          Clearing Price or Far Clearing Price. See Rule
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                              corrections made in this proposed rule change.          4754(a)(7)(E)(iii).
                                                  Exchange has prepared summaries, set                          6 A ‘‘Market On Close Order’’ or ‘‘MOC Order’’ is        13 See Rules 4754(a)(7), (b)(1). The Exchange
                                                  forth in sections A, B, and C below, of                     an Order Type entered without a price that may be       disseminates the Order Imbalance Indicator every 5
                                                  the most significant aspects of such                        executed only during the Nasdaq Closing Cross. See      seconds beginning at 3:50 p.m. ET until market
                                                                                                              Rule 4702(b)(11).                                       close.
                                                  statements.                                                   7 An ‘‘Imbalance Only Order’’ or ‘‘IO Order’’ is an      14 See Rule 4754(b)(2). Orders and quotes

                                                                                                              Order entered with a price that may be executed         executed in the Nasdaq Closing Cross are allocated
                                                    1 15   U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).                                                                                          based on the priority described in Rule 4754(b)(3).
                                                                                                              only in the Nasdaq Closing Cross and only against
                                                    2 17   CFR 240.19b–4.                                     MOC Orders or LOC Orders. See Rule 4702(b)(13).            15 See Rule 4754(b)(4).




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                                                                                 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices                                                        35015

                                                  participants that trade in the Nasdaq                    having a significant impact on the price                 Exchange proposes to specify in its rules
                                                  Closing Cross, or use the Nasdaq Official                established by the Nasdaq Closing                        that MOC, LOC, and IO Orders intended
                                                  Closing Price determined by the cross,                   Cross. Specifically, an LOC Order                        for the Nasdaq Closing Cross entered
                                                  the Exchange now proposes to introduce                   entered between 3:50 p.m. ET and                         into the system and placed on the book
                                                  functionality that permits members to                    immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET will                   prior to the Trading Pause will remain
                                                  enter LOC Orders between the current                     be accepted at its limit price, unless its               on the book to participate in the LULD
                                                  3:50 p.m. ET cutoff and immediately                      limit price is higher (lower) than the                   Closing Cross. With this change, LOC
                                                  prior to 3:55 p.m. ET. The proposed                      First Reference Price for an LOC Order                   Orders that are now available to be
                                                  functionality is described in detail in                  to buy (sell), in which case the LOC                     entered after the current 3:50 p.m. ET
                                                  the following sections of the proposed                   Order will be re-priced to the First                     cutoff will be able to participate in the
                                                  rule change.                                             Reference Price; provided that if the                    LULD Closing Cross. When the
                                                                                                           First Reference Price is not at a                        Exchange is conducting an LULD
                                                  Acceptance of LOC Orders
                                                                                                           permissible minimum increment of                         Closing Cross, LOC Orders would be
                                                     The Nasdaq Closing Cross was                          $0.01 or $0.0001, as applicable, the First               eligible to be entered until the earlier of
                                                  designed to create a robust close that                   Reference Price will be rounded (i) to                   the Trading Pause and immediately
                                                  allows for efficient price discovery                     the nearest permitted minimum                            prior to 3:55 p.m. ET.20 In addition, the
                                                  through a transparent auction process.                   increment (with midpoint prices being                    rule will be amended to correctly state
                                                  To permit additional interest to                         rounded up) if there is no imbalance, (ii)               that all IO Orders that are entered prior
                                                  participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross,                 up if there is a buy imbalance, or (iii)                 to the Trading Pause will participate in
                                                  and increase the quality of the cross, the               down if there is a sell imbalance.17 The                 the LULD Closing Cross, instead of only
                                                  Exchange proposes to allow LOC Orders                    Exchange proposes to use the First                       those IO Orders entered prior to 3:50
                                                  to be entered until immediately prior to                 Reference Price to price these LOC                       p.m. ET, which is consistent with
                                                  3:55 p.m. ET in certain circumstances.                   Orders because they are designed to                      current functionality.21 The Exchange’s
                                                  Specifically, the Exchange proposes to                   reduce Imbalances without having a                       intent has always been to include all
                                                  allow LOC Orders to be entered between                   significant impact on the price of the                   MOC, LOC, and IO Orders that are
                                                  3:50 p.m. ET and immediately prior to                    cross. For this reason, the Exchange will                entered and accepted in the LULD
                                                  3:55 p.m. ET if there is a Current                       also only re-price these LOC Orders                      Closing Cross. Similarly, the Exchange’s
                                                  Reference Price in the first Order                       using the First Reference Price even                     rules also provide for Primary
                                                  Imbalance Indicator disseminated at or                   when there is a newer Current Reference                  Contingency Procedures in the event
                                                  after 3:50 p.m. ET (‘‘First Reference                    Price available, as re-pricing based on                  that a disruption occurs that prevents
                                                  Price’’).16 The presence of a First                      updated prices may decrease stability of                 the execution of the Nasdaq Closing
                                                  Reference Price indicates that there is                  the cross price, which is counter to the                 Cross. In such instances, the Exchange
                                                  matched buy and sell interest that is                    intent of this proposed rule change.                     segregates MOC and LOC Orders
                                                  eligible to participate in the Nasdaq                                                                             entered prior to 3:50 p.m. ET and IO
                                                  Closing Cross. When there is matched                     Alternative Closing Procedures
                                                                                                                                                                    Orders entered prior to 4:00 p.m. ET for
                                                  interest available to participate in the                   In addition to the Nasdaq Closing                      participation in the Contingency Closing
                                                  close, the Exchange believes that                        Cross described above, the Exchange                      Cross. Since members will be able to
                                                  allowing members to continue to enter                    operates an LULD Closing Cross and                       submit LOC Orders up to immediately
                                                  LOC Orders after the current 3:50 p.m.                   Primary Contingency Procedures that                      prior to 3:55 p.m. ET, the Exchange
                                                  ET cutoff will facilitate a more efficient               provide alternative processes for                        proposes to amend its rule for Primary
                                                  closing auction by allowing additional                   executing closing trades on Nasdaq.18                    Contingency Procedures to provide that
                                                  priced interest to participate in the                    The LULD Closing Cross is employed                       LOC Orders entered prior to 3:55 p.m.
                                                  close. When there is no First Reference                  when a Trading Pause pursuant to Rule                    ET are eligible to participate. Finally, to
                                                  Price, there is no matched buy and sell                  4120(a)(12) is triggered at or after 3:50                ensure a fair and orderly market, the
                                                  interest that is eligible to participate in              p.m. ET and before 4:00 p.m. ET.19 The                   Exchange employs certain Auxiliary
                                                  the Nasdaq Closing Cross, and therefore                                                                           Procedures when significant trading
                                                  no need to continue to accept LOC                           17 The Exchange proposes to use natural rounding
                                                                                                                                                                    volume is expected at the close of
                                                  Orders. The Exchange believes that it is                 when there is no imbalance. When there is an             market hours. Although the Exchange is
                                                                                                           imbalance the Exchange will round such that more
                                                  appropriate to allow members to enter                    offsetting interest can participate. Thus, where there   not proposing any substantive changes
                                                  LOC Orders later in the trading day                      is a buy imbalance the Exchange will round the           to its Auxiliary Procedures, it is
                                                  where market conditions suggest that                     First Reference Price up to allow more sell interest     correcting an incorrect cross reference
                                                  allowing additional interest to                          to participate, and when there is a sell imbalance       in that rule. In particular, Rule
                                                  participate may serve to reduce                          the Exchange will round the First Reference Price
                                                                                                           down to allow more buy interest to participate. For      4754(b)(5)(D) provides that the
                                                  Imbalances and increase the quality of                   example, if there is a sell imbalance, a First
                                                  the Nasdaq Closing Cross.                                Reference Price of $10.015 would be rounded down         ET. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 79876
                                                                                                           to $10.01. Re-pricing based on a price of $10.01         (January 25, 2017), 82 FR 8888 (January 31, 2017)
                                                  Re-Pricing of LOC Orders                                 would allow additional buy orders to offset the sell     (SR–NASDAQ–2016–131). The discussion in this
                                                     While all LOC Orders must be entered                  imbalance at that price when they may be excluded        proposed rule change is based on currently
                                                                                                           at a price of $10.02.                                    implemented functionality.
                                                  with a limit price, the Exchange                            18 The Exchange also employs Secondary                   20 The Exchange also proposes to remove a
                                                  proposes to re-price LOC Orders entered                  Contingency Procedures, which are available if both      reference in Rule 4754(b)(6)(C)(iii) that states that
                                                  after the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff to                 the standard procedures and the Primary                  MOC or LOC Orders ‘‘may not be submitted after
                                                  the less aggressive of the order’s limit                 Contingency Procedures are unavailable. The              3:50.’’ This conforming change is being made
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                                                                                                           Exchange is not proposing any changes to the             because members will now be permitted to submit
                                                  price or the First Reference Price in                    Secondary Contingency Procedures as these                LOC orders that would participate in the LULD
                                                  order to prevent these orders from                       procedures do not involve the execution of closing       Closing Cross if entered prior to the earlier of the
                                                                                                           trades on Nasdaq. See Rule 4754(b)(8).                   Trading Pause and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m.
                                                    16 If there is no First Reference Price a value of        19 A recently approved but not yet operative          ET as discussed in this filing.
                                                  zero will be disseminated in the first Order             proposed rule change amends this section to                 21 MOC Orders entered after 3:50 p.m. ET will

                                                  Imbalance Indicator. A value other than zero in this     provide that the LULD Closing Cross is employed          continue to be rejected, and therefore would not be
                                                  message indicates that there is a First Reference        when a Trading Pause pursuant to Rule 4120(a)(12)        eligible for the LULD Closing Cross. See Rule
                                                  Price.                                                   exists at or after 3:50 p.m. ET and before 4:00 p.m.     4702(b)(11)(A).



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                                                  35016                          Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices

                                                  Exchange can adjust the threshold value                  p.m. ET that is also designated to                     participants. These data elements
                                                  set forth in subparagraph (c)(2)(D) to no                participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross,               include the Current Reference Price and
                                                  greater than 20 percent when Auxiliary                   the price of the Order for purposes of                 the number of shares that are paired at
                                                  Procedures are employed. The Exchange                    operating as an LOC Order will be                      the Current Reference Price. Currently,
                                                  proposes to correct this cross reference,                established on entry and will not                      the rule states that the Current
                                                  which should instead point to                            thereafter be pegged until after the                   Reference Price is based on the single
                                                  subparagraph (b)(2)(E), which provides                   completion of the Nasdaq Closing Cross.                price that is at or within the current
                                                  that if the Nasdaq Closing Cross price is                While this is consistent with current                  Nasdaq Market Center best bid and offer
                                                  outside benchmarks established by                        system behavior, the Exchange no                       at which the maximum number of
                                                  Nasdaq by a threshold amount, the cross                  longer believes that Market Maker Peg                  shares of MOC, LOC, IO and Close
                                                  will occur at the price within those                     Orders should be eligible to be entered                Eligible Interest can be paired (with
                                                  thresholds that best satisfies to [sic]                  with a flag designating an on-close                    certain tie-breakers if multiple prices
                                                  other conditions of the rule.                            instruction, and thereby designated as                 meet this criterion). In addition, the rule
                                                  Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders                      Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders,                   states that the paired shares data
                                                                                                           similar to the other order types                       element indicates the number of shares
                                                     The Exchange also proposes to make                    mentioned above. Furthermore,                          represented by MOC, LOC, IO and Close
                                                  two changes with respect to Closing                      members do not typically enter these                   Eligible Interest that are paired at the
                                                  Cross/Extended Hours Orders: (1) To                      orders with such an instruction. The                   Current Reference Price. The Exchange
                                                  clarify handling of certain order types                  Exchange therefore proposes to specify                 notes, however, that the Order
                                                  that are not eligible to participate in the              that a Market Maker Peg Order may not                  Imbalance Indicator has never included
                                                  Nasdaq Closing Cross as Closing Cross/                   operate as a Closing Cross/Extended                    Close Eligible Interest in determining
                                                  Extended Hours Orders, and to add                        Hours Order.                                           the Current Reference Price or the
                                                  Market Maker Peg Orders to that list;                      Rule 4702(b)(12)(B) also states that a               number of paired shares at that price.
                                                  and (2) to remove language regarding                     Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order                     The Exchange therefore proposes to
                                                  conversion of Closing Cross/Extended                     that is entered between 3:50 p.m. ET                   amend this rule to state that the
                                                  Hours Orders entered between 3:50 p.m.                   and the time of the Nasdaq Closing                     Exchange will disseminate a Current
                                                  ET and the time of the Nasdaq Closing                    Cross is (i) rejected if it has been                   Reference Price based on the single
                                                  Cross. A Closing Cross/Extended Hours                    assigned a Pegging Attribute, (ii) treated             price that is at or within the current
                                                  Order is an order that is flagged to                     as an IO Order and then entered into the               Nasdaq Market Center best bid and offer
                                                  participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross                  System after the completion of the                     at which the maximum number of
                                                  and entered with a time-in-force that                    Nasdaq Closing Cross if entered through                shares of MOC, LOC, and IO orders can
                                                  continues after the cross. Such orders                   RASH, QIX, or FIX but not assigned a                   be paired, and a paired share count
                                                  are typically treated as LOC Orders for                  Pegging Attribute, and (iii) treated as an             based on the number of shares
                                                  participation in the Nasdaq Closing                      IO Order and cancelled after the Nasdaq                represented by MOC, LOC, and IO
                                                  Cross and then operate pursuant to their                 Closing Cross if entered through OUCH                  Orders that are paired at the Current
                                                  order type and attributes.                               or FLITE. The Exchange now believes
                                                     Today, Rule 4702(b)(12)(B) states that,                                                                      Reference Price. With these changes,
                                                                                                           that members would be better served by                 Rule 4754(a)(7)(B) will correctly reflect
                                                  following the Nasdaq Closing Cross, a
                                                                                                           functionality that does not convert these              the information disseminated to market
                                                  Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order
                                                                                                           Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders to                 participants. In addition, the Exchange
                                                  may not operate as a Post-Only Order,
                                                                                                           IO Orders and therefore proposes to                    notes that Rule 4752(a)(2)(B) contains a
                                                  Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order,
                                                                                                           remove the language in (ii) and (iii)                  similar error in including Open Eligible
                                                  Supplemental Order, Retail Order, or
                                                                                                           above from its rules.22 The Exchange                   Interest in the Current Reference Price
                                                  RPI Order. As written, this rule could be
                                                                                                           believes that this change is more                      calculation and paired share count for
                                                  interpreted as implying that a member
                                                                                                           consistent with member’s expectations                  the Nasdaq Opening Cross. The
                                                  could enter these order types with an
                                                                                                           when entering orders that are expected                 Exchange therefore proposes to correct
                                                  on-close instruction and would
                                                                                                           to trade as LOC Orders but would be                    that rule as well. With these changes,
                                                  participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross
                                                  and thereafter not be eligible for                       converted to IO Orders in the system                   Rule 4752(a)(2)(B) will correctly
                                                  extended hours trading. In fact,                         today. A Closing Cross/Extended Hours                  indicate that the Exchange will
                                                  although these orders are eligible to                    Order that is entered between 3:50 p.m.                disseminate a Current Reference Price
                                                  participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross                  ET and the time of the Nasdaq Closing                  based on the single price that is at or
                                                  when entered on the continuous book,                     Cross will continue to be rejected                     within the current Nasdaq Market
                                                  Post-Only Orders, Midpoint Peg Post-                     pursuant to (i) above if it has been                   Center best bid and offer at which the
                                                  Only Orders, Supplemental Orders, and                    assigned a Pegging Attribute.                          maximum number of shares of MOO,
                                                  Retail Orders, cannot be entered with a                  Order Imbalance Indicator                              LOO, OIO, and Early Market Hours
                                                  flag designating an on-close instruction,                                                                       orders can be paired, and a paired share
                                                                                                              As described in other parts of this                 count based on the number of shares
                                                  and therefore cannot operate as a                        filing, the Exchange disseminates an
                                                  Closing Cross/Extended Hours Order.                                                                             represented by MOO, LOO, OIO, and
                                                                                                           Order Imbalance Indicator beginning at                 Early Market Hours orders that are
                                                  Furthermore, RPI Orders are not                          3:50 p.m. ET that includes several data
                                                  currently offered on the Exchange. The                                                                          paired at the Current Reference Price.
                                                                                                           elements to provide information about
                                                  Exchange therefore proposes to clarify                                                                             Finally, the Order Imbalance Indicator
                                                                                                           the Nasdaq Closing Cross to market
                                                  the rule so that it is more transparent to                                                                      includes the size of any Imbalance.
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES




                                                  members that a Post-Only Order,                            22 As an additional conforming change, the           Currently, Imbalance is defined in Rule
                                                  Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order,                            Exchange is also amending a reference in Rule          4754(a)(2) as ‘‘the number of shares of
                                                  Supplemental Order, or Retail Order,                     4702(b)(12)(B) that states that ‘‘[a]ll other LOC      buy or sell MOC or LOC Orders that
                                                  may not operate as a Closing Cross/                      Orders and Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders         cannot be matched with other MOC or
                                                                                                           entered at or after 3:50 p.m. ET will be rejected’’
                                                  Extend Hours Order. In addition, the                     to reflect the proposed time period for entering LOC
                                                                                                                                                                  LOC, Close Eligible Interest or IO Order
                                                  rule states that, in the case of a Market                Orders, which will now be until immediately prior      shares at a particular price at any given
                                                  Maker Peg Order entered prior to 3:50                    to 3:55 p.m. ET.                                       time.’’ Although the rule states that


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                                                                                    Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices                                            35017

                                                  Close Eligible Interest is used when                        order types, in a single venue. The                   of a First Reference Price indicates that
                                                  determining an Imbalance, in practice,                      Exchange believes that increasing                     there is matched interest that is eligible
                                                  similar to the Current Reference Price                      participation in the Nasdaq Closing                   to participate in the Nasdaq Closing
                                                  calculation and paired share count                          Cross by offering the proposed LOC                    Cross. The Exchange believes that this is
                                                  described above, the Imbalance                              Order enhancement will further                        when it is most helpful to allow
                                                  calculation has never included Close                        promote price discovery and                           additional interest intended for the
                                                  Eligible Interest. The Exchange therefore                   participation at the close by allowing                cross as new LOC Orders can be used to
                                                  proposes to remove the incorrect                            additional priced interest to be                      decrease Imbalances and facilitate a
                                                  reference to Close Eligible Interest in the                 submitted for the close. In addition to               more efficient closing auction to the
                                                  rule. As proposed, Imbalance will be                        providing a mechanism for members to                  benefit of members and investors. The
                                                  correctly defined as ‘‘the number of                        execute closing interest, the Nasdaq                  proposed functionality has been
                                                  shares of buy or sell MOC or LOC                            Closing Cross also generates a closing                designed to reduce Imbalances that may
                                                  Orders that cannot be matched with                          price that is used widely throughout the              exist during the closing process, and is
                                                  other MOC or LOC, or IO Order shares                        industry for a variety of purposes                    not intended to create Imbalances where
                                                  at a particular price at any given time.’’                  including index and mutual fund                       there is no interest that is eligible to
                                                  In addition, the Exchange notes that                        valuations. The Exchange therefore                    participate in the cross. Thus, the
                                                  Rule 4752(a)(1) contains a similar error                    believes that it is important to ensure               Exchange believes that accepting LOC
                                                  in including Open Eligible Interest in                      that the Nasdaq Closing Cross provides                Orders between 3:50 p.m. ET and
                                                  the Imbalance calculation for the                           the best possible experience for                      immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET only
                                                  Nasdaq Opening Cross. The Exchange                          members and investors that rely on the                when there is a First Reference Price is
                                                  therefore proposes to correct that rule as                  cross and the closing prices it generates.            consistent with the protection of
                                                  well. With this change, Rule 4752(a)(1)                        Allowing members to enter LOC                      investors and the public interest. The
                                                  will correctly define an Imbalance for                      Orders later in the trading day will                  Exchange believes that it is appropriate
                                                  the Nasdaq Opening Cross as ‘‘the                           enhance the Nasdaq Closing Cross by                   to allow members to enter LOC Orders
                                                  number of shares of buy or sell MOO,                        increasing participation, and reducing                until immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET
                                                  LOO or Early Market Hours orders that                       the frequency of Imbalances that may                  where market conditions suggest that
                                                  may not be matched with other MOO,                          increase volatility of the closing cross              allowing additional interest to
                                                  LOO, Early Market Hours, or OIO order                       price. Currently, members that have                   participate may serve to reduce
                                                  shares at a particular price at any given                   interest to execute at the closing price              Imbalances and increase the quality of
                                                  time.’’                                                     have more limited options in submitting               the Nasdaq Closing Cross. Furthermore,
                                                                                                              that interest after 3:50 p.m. ET when the             if members wish to have their LOC
                                                  Implementation                                              time window for entering MOC and                      Orders participate in the Nasdaq Closing
                                                    The Exchange proposes to launch the                       LOC Orders has closed. Specifically,                  Cross regardless of whether there is a
                                                  functionality described in this proposed                    these members must either submit IO                   First Reference Price they can continue
                                                  rule change in either Q3 or Q4 2017                         Orders, which do not trade if there is no             to enter that interest prior to 3:50 p.m.
                                                  pursuant to a symbol-by-symbol rollout.                     Imbalance and do not maintain price                   ET.
                                                  The Exchange will announce the                              priority since they are continuously re-
                                                  implementation date of this                                 priced to the best bid or offer, or must                 To ensure more price stability in the
                                                  functionality and the symbol rollout in                     submit regular orders to the continuous               Nasdaq Closing Cross, the Exchange is
                                                  an Equity Trader Alert issued to                            book, where they may execute before                   also proposing to re-price LOC Orders
                                                  members prior to the launch date.                           the cross begins. Member feedback has                 entered after 3:50 p.m. ET to the First
                                                                                                              indicated that a longer period for the                Reference Price in circumstances where
                                                  2. Statutory Basis                                          entry of LOC Orders would be beneficial               the order’s limit price is more aggressive
                                                     The Exchange believes that the                           for firms that participate in the close.              than the First Reference Price. The
                                                  proposed rule change is consistent with                     The proposed functionality would allow                Exchange believes that re-pricing LOC
                                                  Section 6(b) of the Act,23 in general, and                  firms to maintain price standing when                 Orders entered after the regular cutoff is
                                                  furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5)                  providing liquidity intended for the                  consistent with just and equitable
                                                  of the Act,24 in particular, in that it is                  Nasdaq Closing Cross, allowing                        principles of trade because the proposed
                                                  designed to promote just and equitable                      potentially better trading outcomes for               functionality is designed to reduce
                                                  principles of trade, to remove                              firms, and thereby encouraging                        Imbalances without having a significant
                                                  impediments to and perfect the                              additional interest to participate in the             impact on the price determined by the
                                                  mechanism of a free and open market                         cross. The proposed rule change is                    cross. At the time it is disseminated, the
                                                  and a national market system, and, in                       therefore likely to improve price                     First Reference Price represents the
                                                  general to protect investors and the                        discovery and the stability of the                    price, bounded by the continuous
                                                  public interest.                                            Nasdaq Closing Cross to the benefit of                market, where the maximum number of
                                                     The Exchange believes that the                           all market participants. The Exchange                 on-close shares can be paired. The
                                                  introduction of the proposed LOC Order                      believes that the proposed 3:55 p.m. ET               Exchange believes that it is appropriate
                                                  functionality will remove impediments                       cutoff for submitting LOC Orders                      to re-price to this price, provided that it
                                                  to and perfect the mechanism of a free                      appropriately balances the need for                   is within the order’s limit price. This
                                                  and open market as this proposed                            members to submit interest for the                    will allow orders to coalesce around this
                                                  change is designed to increase the                          Nasdaq Closing Cross later in the                     price, creating additional liquidity, and
                                                  quality of the Nasdaq Closing Cross. The                    trading day with the need for a stable                potentially reducing Imbalances.
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                                                  Nasdaq Closing Cross provides an                            cross.                                                Furthermore, to the extent that members
                                                  industry-leading, transparent price                            Since the proposed functionality is                do not want their LOC Orders re-priced,
                                                  discovery process that aggregates a large                   designed to reduce Imbalances and                     they can continue to submit LOC Orders
                                                  pool of liquidity, across a variety of                      create a more efficient cross, the                    before the 3:50 p.m. cutoff. Thus, the
                                                                                                              Exchange will only accept these orders                Exchange believes that it is consistent
                                                    23 15   U.S.C. 78f(b).                                    where there is a First Reference Price.               with the protection of investors and the
                                                    24 15   U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).                                 As previously explained, the presence                 public interest to re-price LOC Orders


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                                                  35018                          Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices

                                                  entered after 3:50 p.m. ET such that they                substantive changes are being made to                 with the public interest and the
                                                  contribute to available interest eligible                this provision.                                       protection of investors because these
                                                  to participate in the cross, without the                    The Exchange also believes that the                changes more accurately reflect the
                                                  potential to significantly increase                      proposed changes related to Closing                   information currently disseminated.
                                                  volatility in the closing cross price.                   Cross/Extended Hours Orders are                       Today, the Order Imbalance Indicator
                                                                                                           consistent with the protection of                     for the Nasdaq Closing Cross does not
                                                     The Exchange also believes that it is
                                                                                                           investors and the public interest. With               include Close Eligible Interest in its
                                                  consistent with the public interest and
                                                                                                           respect to handling of Market Maker Peg               calculation of the Current Reference
                                                  the protection of investors to allow LOC
                                                                                                           Orders entered with an on-close                       Price or the paired share count.
                                                  Orders entered after the regular 3:50                    instruction, the Exchange believes that               Similarly, the Order Imbalance Indicator
                                                  p.m. ET cutoff to participate in the                     the proposed functionality, which is to               for the Nasdaq Opening Cross does not
                                                  LULD Closing Cross and Primary                           reject the order, is more consistent with             include Open Eligible Interest for either
                                                  Contingency Procedures. The LULD                         member expectations. The Exchange                     of those data elements. In each case, the
                                                  Closing Cross is employed by the                         does not believe that members want                    Exchange believes that it is more
                                                  Exchange when a Trading Pause is                         functionality that allows Market Maker                appropriate to exclude Close or Open
                                                  triggered at or after 3:50 p.m. ET and                   Peg Orders to be entered with a flag                  Eligible Interest from the Current
                                                  before 4:00 p.m. ET, and today includes                  designating an on-close instruction and               Reference Price calculation and paired
                                                  LOC Orders submitted prior to the                        which would therefore operate as                      share count disseminated to market
                                                  current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff. With the                    Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders.                  participants as these orders may be
                                                  proposed changes to allow members to                     Furthermore, this is consistent with the              executed in the continuous market
                                                  submit LOC Orders later in the trading                   Exchange’s review of this order type,                 before the closing or opening auction
                                                  day, LOC Orders entered after the                        which indicates that members enter this               commences. The Exchange believes that
                                                  regular 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff will also be                 combination very rarely. Market Maker                 updating its rule to accurately reflect the
                                                  permitted to trade in the LULD Closing                   Peg Orders were designed to assist                    information disseminated to market
                                                  Cross provided that they have been                       members in meeting their quoting                      participants will increase transparency
                                                  entered into the system and placed on                    obligations and not as a means of                     surrounding these processes, and is
                                                  the book prior to the pause.25 IO Orders                 submitting interest flagged with an on-               therefore designed to promote just and
                                                  that are entered prior to the Trading                    close instruction. The Exchange also                  equitable principles of trade. In
                                                  Pause are also eligible to trade in the                  believes that the other changes to this               addition, with respect to the definition
                                                  LULD Closing Cross today, and the                        rule to clarify that a Post-Only Order,               of Imbalance, the Exchange notes that,
                                                  changes being made to that section                       Midpoint Peg Post-Only Order,                         similar to the Current Reference Price
                                                  reflect this. The Exchange believes that                 Supplemental Order, or Retail Order,                  and paired share count, the Imbalance
                                                  the changes with respect to IO Orders                    may not operate as a Closing Cross/                   calculation does not include Close
                                                  are consistent with public interest and                  Extend Hours Order will benefit                       Eligible Interest for the Nasdaq Closing
                                                  protection of investors as this change is                members by increasing transparency                    Cross or Open Eligible Interest for the
                                                  being made to avoid member confusion                     with respect to order handling. No                    Nasdaq Opening Cross. For the same
                                                  about what interest is eligible for the                  changes are being made to the trading                 reasons described above, the Exchange
                                                  LULD Closing Cross in the event that                     system to implement this change; this                 believes that it is appropriate to not
                                                  this procedure is used by the Exchange.                  change merely clarifies current                       include interest that could be executed
                                                  Similarly, the Primary Contingency                       functionality offered on the Exchange.                in the continuous market prior to the
                                                  Procedures are employed when a                           Finally, with respect to Closing Cross/               closing or opening auction in the
                                                  disruption occurs that prevents the                      Extended Hours Orders entered between                 Imbalance calculation. The Exchange
                                                  execution of the Nasdaq Closing Cross,                   3:50 p.m. ET and the time of the Nasdaq               believes that updating these rules will
                                                  and today also includes LOC Orders                       Closing Cross, the Exchange believes                  increase transparency to the benefit of
                                                  entered prior to 3:50 p.m. ET. Since                     that it is consistent with the public                 members and other market participants,
                                                  LOC Orders may now be accepted later                     interest and the protection of investors              and is therefore designed to promote
                                                  in the trading day, those orders will                    to no longer offer functionality that                 just and equitable principles of trade.
                                                  now also be allowed to participate in                    converts these orders to IO Orders. With
                                                                                                           the proposed changes for LOC Orders,                  B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                  the Primary Contingency Procedures.
                                                                                                           members will be able to enter LOC                     Statement on Burden on Competition
                                                  The Exchange believes that allowing
                                                  these later LOC Orders to participate in                 Orders up until 3:55 p.m. ET instead of                 The Exchange does not believe that
                                                  the LULD Closing Cross and Primary                       the current 3:50 p.m. ET cutoff. After                the proposed rule change will impose
                                                  Contingency Procedures will promote                      3:55 p.m. ET, the Exchange believes that              any burden on competition not
                                                  just and equitable principles of trade                   members would rather have their                       necessary or appropriate in furtherance
                                                  and perfect the mechanism of a free and                  Closing Cross/Extended Hours Orders                   of the purposes of the Act. The
                                                  open market. Finally, with respect to the                rejected like other LOC Orders rather                 Exchange is enhancing the Nasdaq
                                                  changes for Auxiliary Procedures, the                    than treated as IO Orders, which do not               Closing Cross to benefit members and
                                                  Exchange notes that it is only changing                  trade if there is no Imbalance and do not             investors, and does not believe that the
                                                  an incorrect cross reference, which will                 maintain price priority since they are                proposed rule change would impose any
                                                  benefit members by ensuring that the                     continuously re-priced to the best bid or             significant burden on competition.
                                                  Exchange’s rulebook is accurate. No                      offer. The Exchange therefore believes                Today, the Nasdaq Closing Cross
                                                                                                           that the proposed change is designed to               provides a transparent auction process
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES




                                                     25 As noted previously in this filing, the Exchange   promote just and equitable principles of              for executing member interest at the
                                                  is also removing a reference in Rule                     trade.                                                close. The proposed rule change is
                                                  4754(b)(6)(C)(iii) that states that MOC or LOC              Finally, the Exchange believes that                designed to allow additional interest to
                                                  Orders ‘‘may not be submitted after 3:50’’ because       the proposed changes related to the                   participate in the Nasdaq Closing Cross,
                                                  members will now be permitted to submit LOC
                                                  orders that would participate in the LULD Closing
                                                                                                           information disseminated in the Order                 and thereby provide a more efficient
                                                  Cross if entered prior to the earlier of the Trading     Imbalance Indicator for both the closing              process for executing closing interest,
                                                  Pause and immediately prior to 3:55 p.m. ET.             and opening processes is consistent                   and enhancing price discovery during


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                                                                                 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2017 / Notices                                                      35019

                                                  the close. The Exchange believes that                    amendments, all written statements                      solicit comments on the proposed rule
                                                  proposed functionality will enhance the                  with respect to the proposed rule                       change from interested persons.
                                                  experience for members that trade in the                 change that are filed with the
                                                                                                                                                                   I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                  Nasdaq Closing Cross and the various                     Commission, and all written
                                                                                                                                                                   Statement of the Terms of the Substance
                                                  market participants that use the prices                  communications relating to the
                                                                                                                                                                   of the Proposed Rule Change
                                                  discovered by the cross, and is evidence                 proposed rule change between the
                                                  of the strong competition in the equities                Commission and any person, other than                      The Exchange proposes to reflect a
                                                  industry, where exchanges must                           those that may be withheld from the                     change in the size of a Creation Unit
                                                  continually improve their offerings to                   public in accordance with the                           applicable to shares of the PIMCO Low
                                                  stay competitive.                                        provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be                     Duration Active Exchange-Traded Fund
                                                                                                           available for Web site viewing and                      from 50,000 Shares to at least 20,000
                                                  C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                                                                                Shares. The Fund is currently listed and
                                                                                                           printing in the Commission’s Public
                                                  Statement on Comments on the                                                                                     traded on the Exchange under NYSE
                                                                                                           Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
                                                  Proposed Rule Change Received From                                                                               Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The proposed
                                                                                                           Washington, DC 20549, on official
                                                  Members, Participants, or Others                                                                                 rule change is available on the
                                                                                                           business days between the hours of
                                                    No written comments were either                        10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the                  Exchange’s Web site at www.nyse.com,
                                                  solicited or received.                                   filing also will be available for                       at the principal office of the Exchange,
                                                  III. Date of Effectiveness of the                        inspection and copying at the principal                 and at the Commission’s Public
                                                  Proposed Rule Change and Timing for                      office of the Exchange. All comments                    Reference Room.
                                                  Commission Action                                        received will be posted without change;                 II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                                                                           the Commission does not edit personal                   Statement of the Purpose of, and
                                                     Within 45 days of the date of                         identifying information from
                                                  publication of this notice in the Federal                                                                        Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
                                                                                                           submissions. You should submit only                     Change
                                                  Register or within such longer period                    information that you wish to make
                                                  up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may                  available publicly. All submissions                       In its filing with the Commission, the
                                                  designate if it finds such longer period                 should refer to File Number SR–                         self-regulatory organization included
                                                  to be appropriate and publishes its                      NASDAQ–2017–061 and should be                           statements concerning the purpose of,
                                                  reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which               submitted on or before August 17, 2017.                 and basis for, the proposed rule change
                                                  the self-regulatory organization                                                                                 and discussed any comments it received
                                                  consents, the Commission will:                             For the Commission, by the Division of
                                                                                                           Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
                                                                                                                                                                   on the proposed rule change. The text
                                                     (A) By order approve or disapprove                                                                            of those statements may be examined at
                                                                                                           authority.26
                                                  such proposed rule change, or                                                                                    the places specified in Item IV below.
                                                     (B) institute proceedings to determine                Eduardo A. Aleman,
                                                                                                                                                                   The Exchange has prepared summaries,
                                                  whether the proposed rule change                         Assistant Secretary.
                                                                                                                                                                   set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
                                                  should be disapproved.                                   [FR Doc. 2017–15775 Filed 7–26–17; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                                                                                   of the most significant parts of such
                                                                                                           BILLING CODE 8011–01–P                                  statements.
                                                  IV. Solicitation of Comments
                                                    Interested persons are invited to                                                                              A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
                                                  submit written data, views, and                          SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                                 Statement of the Purpose of, and the
                                                  arguments concerning the foregoing,                      COMMISSION                                              Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
                                                  including whether the proposed rule                                                                              Change
                                                  change is consistent with the Act.                       [Release No. 34–81185; File No. SR–
                                                                                                           NYSEArca–2017–78]                                       1. Purpose
                                                  Comments may be submitted by any of
                                                  the following methods:                                                                                              The Commission has approved a
                                                                                                           Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
                                                                                                                                                                   proposed rule change relating to listing
                                                  Electronic Comments                                      Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and
                                                                                                                                                                   and trading on the Exchange of shares
                                                                                                           Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed
                                                    • Use the Commission’s Internet                                                                                (‘‘Shares’’) of the PIMCO Low Duration
                                                                                                           Rule Change Relating to a Change in
                                                  comment form (http://www.sec.gov/                                                                                Active Exchange-Traded Fund (‘‘Fund’’)
                                                                                                           the Size of a Creation Unit Applicable
                                                  rules/sro.shtml); or                                                                                             under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600,4
                                                                                                           to Shares of the PIMCO Low Duration
                                                    • Send an email to rule-comments@                                                                              which governs the listing and trading of
                                                                                                           Active Exchange-Traded Fund
                                                  sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–                                                                          Managed Fund Shares.5 The Shares are
                                                  NASDAQ–2017–061 on the subject line.                     July 21, 2017.
                                                                                                                                                                      4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 70774
                                                  Paper Comments                                              Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
                                                                                                                                                                   (October 30, 2013), 78 FR 66396 (November 5, 2013)
                                                                                                           Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
                                                     • Send paper comments in triplicate                   ‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
                                                                                                                                                                   (SR–NYSEArca–2013–106) (notice of filing of
                                                                                                                                                                   proposed rule change relating to listing and trading
                                                  to Secretary, Securities and Exchange                    notice is hereby given that, on July 14,                of Shares of the Fund on the Exchange) (‘‘Prior
                                                  Commission, 100 F Street NE.,                            2017, NYSE Arca, Inc. (the ‘‘Exchange’’                 Notice’’); 71125 (December 18, 2013), 78 FR 77743
                                                  Washington, DC 20549–1090.                                                                                       (December 24, 2013) (SR–NYSEArca–2013–106)
                                                                                                           or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed with the                        (order approving listing and trading of Shares of the
                                                  All submissions should refer to File                     Securities and Exchange Commission                      Fund on the Exchange) (‘‘Prior Order’’). See also
                                                  Number SR–NASDAQ–2017–061. This                          (the ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule                  Securities Exchange Act Release No. 73331 (October
                                                  file number should be included on the                    change as described in Items I and II                   9, 2014), 79 FR 62213 (October 16, 2014) (SR–
                                                  subject line if email is used. To help the                                                                       NYSEArca–2014–104) (order approving proposed
                                                                                                           below, which Items have been prepared
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                                                                                   rule change relating to use of derivatives by the
                                                  Commission process and review your                       by the self-regulatory organization. The                Fund) (together with the Prior Order, ‘‘Prior
                                                  comments more efficiently, please use                    Commission is publishing this notice to                 Releases’’).
                                                  only one method. The Commission will                                                                                5 A Managed Fund Share is a security that

                                                  post all comments on the Commission’s                         26 17
                                                                                                                                                                   represents an interest in an investment company
                                                                                                                      CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).                         registered under the Investment Company Act of
                                                  Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/                        1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).                             1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (‘‘1940 Act’’) organized as
                                                  rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the                               2 15 U.S.C. 78a.
                                                                                                                                                                   an open-end investment company or similar entity
                                                  submission, all subsequent                                    3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.                                                                           Continued




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Document Created: 2017-07-27 02:07:13
Document Modified: 2017-07-27 02:07:13
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 Citation82 FR 35014 

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