[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-19521]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 10, 1994]


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SECURITIES EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-34481; File No. SR-PHLX-94-32]

 

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Inc.; 
Filing of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to Implementing a ``Wheel'' 
for the Registered Options Trader Contra-Side Participation to AUTO-X 
Trades

August 3, 1994.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act''),\1\ notice is hereby given that on July 18, 1994, the 
Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Inc. (``Phlx''or ``Exchange'') filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') the proposed 
rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which items 
have been prepared by the Phlx. The Commission is publishing this 
notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested 
persons.

    \1\15 U.S.C. Sec. 78s(b)(1) (1988).
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Phlx, pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Act, proposes to adopt 
Floor Procedure Advice F-24, AUTO-X Contra-Party Participation (The 
Wheel), in order to implement an automated mechanism for assigning 
floor traders (i.e., specialists and Registered Option Traders 
(``ROTs'')), on a rotating basis, as contra-side participants to AUTO-X 
orders.
    Advice F-24 codifies Wheel eligibility and the procedures by which 
Wheel participants must sign on/sign off. It also establishes the 
rotation upon which trades will be allocated among Wheel participants.
    Paragraph (a) of the Advice summarizes AUTO-X eligibility by 
stating that public customer orders up to the maximum permissible size 
would be eligible for AUTO-X.\2\ Paragraph (b) establishes that the 
Wheel will assign contra-parties by rotating through the list, in 
consecutive order, trade by trade. Paragraph (c) requires specialists 
to participate on the Wheel and permits ROTs to participate in assigned 
issues. It also limits ROTs to Wheel participation in one Wheel 
assignment area, which is defined as two contiguous quarter turrets at 
any one given time.\3\ ROTs must sign onto the Wheel in person on the 
trading floor from terminals designated by the Exchange and may sign on 
in individual options. ROTs who sign on before 9:30 a.m. may remain on 
the Wheel for the entire trading day; those who sign on after 9:30 a.m. 
are eligible for Wheel participation beginning at 12:30 p.m. After 
12:30 p.m., no new sign ons are permitted.

    \2\Currently, the maximum permissible size eligible for AUTO-X 
is 25 contracts. Securities Exchange Act Release No. 32906 
(September 15, 1993), 58 FR 49345.
    \3\A turret is one contiguous portion of a post on the option 
floor, which is generally divided into four ``quarters.''
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    Paragraph (c) also governs signing off the Wheel. An ROT may sign 
off the Wheel at any time during the trading day, which becomes 
effective for all listed options. However, an ROT may sign off twice 
each trading day and still be eligible to sign on again that day; after 
the third sign off, that ROT is no longer eligible for the Wheel that 
day. ROTs who sign on for the half-day session beginning at 12:30 p.m. 
may only sign off once and still be eligible to sign on again that day. 
In addition, no two associated or dually affiliated ROTs may be on the 
Wheel for the same option at the same time. Paragraph (d) permits a 
Floor Official to modify the aforementioned sign on/sign off procedures 
in extraordinary circumstances.
    Paragraph (e) details the rotation of trades among Wheel 
participants. Specifically, the first ten contracts of any AUTO-X order 
are assigned to a single Wheel participant, with the specialist 
receiving the first execution of the day in each respective listed 
option. For those AUTO-X orders greater than ten contracts, each 
additional ten-lot or remaining portion thereof is assigned to the next 
individual Wheel participant. The next order is similarly assigned, 
beginning with the next participant after the last to receive an 
execution. If there are five or more ROTs signed onto the Wheel, the 
specialist will receive every fifth execution, in addition to being 
assigned to the first AUTO-X order in the option.
    Lastly, paragraph (f) states that paragraph (e) will be reviewed by 
the Exchange's Allocation, Evaluation, and Securities Committee after 
six months.

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

    In its filing with the Commission, Phlx 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. Phlx 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

    The purpose of the proposed rule change is to increase the 
efficiency and liquidity of order execution through AUTO-X by adopting 
a ``Wheel'' for the automated assignment of floor traders as contra-
parties to incoming AUTO-X orders. The Phlx believes that the Wheel 
will make AUTO-X more efficient, as contra-side participation will be 
assigned automatically and no longer entered manually.
    The AUTO-X system is the automatic execution feature of the 
Exchange's Automated Options Market (``AUTOM'') system.\4\ AUTO-X 
provides customers with automatic executions of eligible option orders 
at displayed markets.\5\ AUTO-X orders are currently given executions 
automatically and immediately. ROTs are added later as contra-side 
participants to such orders with manual keypunch entries, which can 
cause delays and errors in processing executions. The proposed Wheel is 
designed to eliminate manual keypunching of contra-side participant 
information relating to AUTO-X executions and the errors that sometimes 
result from such keypunching. It also provides a rotation schedule by 
which floor traders will automatically be assigned as the contra-party 
to AUTO-X orders and will do so in a manner that reduces the number of 
contra-side participants, which in most cases will be reduced to one 
contra-side per trade.

    \4\AUTOM is an on-line system that allows electronic delivery of 
options orders from member firms directly to the appropriate 
specialist on the Phlx options trading floor, with electronic 
confirmation of order executions. On March 31, 1988, the Commission 
first approved the Phlx's operation of the AUTOM system on a pilot 
basis. Securities Exchange Act Release No. 25540 (March 31, 1988), 
53 FR 11390.
    \5\Orders eligible for automatic execution are (1) printed in 
hard copy form at the floor representative booth of the delivering 
member organization; (2) displayed on the trading crowd screen with 
buy/sell information omitted; and (3) printed in hard copy form at 
the specialist post.
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    Currently, floor trader contra-side participation currently 
defaults to the account of the specialist if no step is taken to 
manually add the participation of a ROT. ROTs are eligible for 
participation when they have established priority or parity at the 
execution price.\6\ Consequently, before contra-side information can be 
added, the trading crowd has to resolve among itself which floor 
trader(s) had priority or parity at the execution price. Quite often, 
several floor traders are on parity, thus requiring keypunch entries 
for each such trader. The more contra-side participants which must be 
added to a trade, the more of a delay there is in processing the 
participant information to the trade and the more the process becomes 
prone to keypunch errors and additional manual paperwork.

    \6\Currently, if one or more ROTs have priority or parity, the 
order will be split as evenly as possible between all such ROTs and 
the specialist.
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    The Wheel will automatically include eligible ROTs in AUTO-X 
executions and specify how such trades will be split among the 
specialist and ROTs. The specialist and any signed on ROTs will be 
listed on the Wheel, and contra-side participation of AUTO-X orders 
will then be assigned to them in circular rotation with each ten lot or 
order (whichever is smaller) constituting an assignment. The specialist 
receives the first trade of the day in each respective option. 
Thereafter, the Wheel turns to assign trades to ROTs in an order 
standardized for that day on a random basis.\7\

    \7\The first ROT is selected randomly from all ROTs that sign on 
prior to 9:30 a.m. All other ROTs are prioritized for receipt of 
orders based on the badge numbers following sequentially the first 
ROT's badge number. If other ROTs sign on for the 12:30 p.m. 
session, the priority list is rerandomized for that session.
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    For example, if specialist S and ROTs R, O, and T are on the Wheel 
in XYZ option, the first order for 9 contracts is assigned 
automatically to S. The next order, which is for 25 contracts, is 
assigned ten each to R and O, and five to T. The third order, for 20 
contracts, is assigned ten contracts to S and ten to R. If there are 
five or more ROTs signed onto the Wheel, the specialist participates in 
the first trade of the day and thereafter receives every fifth 
execution.
    The Exchange believe that the proposed AUTO-X Wheel and 
corresponding Advice are intended to facilitate orderly transactions in 
AUTO-X, with full trading crowd participation. The sign on/sign off 
requirements, including the assigned option and Wheel assignment area 
requirements, are intended to ensure that the ROT is present and 
actively awaiting AUTO-X orders in those options in which AUTO-X 
executions are to be manually received.\8\

    \8\Currently, the specialist will only add an ROT as a contra-
side participant if the ROT is present and has bid at the execution 
price.
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    The Phlx believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with 
Section 6 of the Act in general, and in particular, with Section 
6(b)(5),\9\ in that it is designed to promote just and equitable 
principles of trade, prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and 
practices, as well as to protect investors and the public interest by 
promoting ROT participation as contra-parties to AUTO-X trades and 
reducing opportunities for keypunching errors through increased 
automation.

    \9\15 U.S.C. Sec. 78f(b)(5) (1988).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Phlx does not believe that the proposed rule change imposes any 
burden on competition not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of 
the purposes of the Act.

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

    Comments on the proposed rule change have not yet been solicited or 
received.

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

    Within thirty days of the date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may 
designate up to ninety days of such date if it finds such longer period 
to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so findings or (ii) as 
to which the self-regulatory organizations consents, the Commission 
will:

(A) By order approve 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. Persons making written submissions 
should file six copies thereof with the Secretary, Securities and 
Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549. 
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 any person, other than those that 
may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 
U.S.C. Sec. 552, will be available for inspection and copying in the 
Commission's Public Reference Section, 450 Fifth Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20549. Copies of such filing will also be available for 
inspection and copying at the principal office of Phlx. All submissions 
should refer to file number SR-Phlx-94-32 and should be submitted by 
August 31, 1994.

    For the Commission by the Division of Market Regulation, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\10\

    \10\17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12) (1993).
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Margaret H. McFarland,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-19521 Filed 8-9-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-M