[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 233 (Monday, December 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75715-75716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30431]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-63393; File No. SR-NYSEAmex-2010-107]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing 
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Amending Option 
Trading Rules in Order To Extend the Penny Pilot in Options Classes in 
Certain Issues Through December 31, 2011

November 30, 2010.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby 
given that on November 24, 2010, NYSE Amex LLC (the ``Exchange'' or 
``NYSE Amex'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 
``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II 
below, which Items have been substantially prepared by the self-
regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to 
solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C.78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
    \3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to amend its option trading rules in order to 
extend the Penny Pilot in options classes in certain issues (``Pilot 
Program'') previously approved by the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (``Commission'') through December 31, 2011. The text of the 
proposed rule change is available at the Exchange, http://www.nyse.com, 
the Commission's Public Reference Room, and on the Commission's Web 
site at http://www.sec.gov.

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

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

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

1. Purpose
    The Exchange hereby proposes to extend the time period of the Pilot 
Program \4\ which is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 
2010, through December 31, 2011, and to provide revised dates for 
adding replacement issues to the Pilot. The Exchange proposes that the 
semi-annual dates to replace issues that have been delisted be revised 
to the second trading day following January 1, 2011 and July 1, 2011. 
The Exchange also wishes to clarify that the replacement issues will be 
selected based on trading activity for the six month period beginning 
June 1, 2010 and ending November 30, 2010 for the January 2011 
replacement, and the six month period beginning December 1, 2010 and 
ending May 31, 2011 for the July 2011 replacements. This filing does 
not propose any substantive changes to the Pilot Program: all classes 
currently participating will remain the same and all minimum increments 
will remain unchanged. The Exchange believes the benefits to public 
customers and other market participants who will be able to express 
their true prices to buy and sell options have been demonstrated to 
outweigh the increase in quote traffic.
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    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34-61106 (December 
3, 2009), 74 FR 65193 (December 9, 2009); Securities Exchange Act 
Release No. 34-61479 (February 3, 2010), 75 FR 6772 (February 10, 
2010).
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    The Exchange agrees to [sic] reports that will analyze the impact 
of the Pilot Program on market quality and options systems capacity. 
The reports will analyze the impact of the Pilot Program on market 
quality and options systems capacity. These reports will include, but 
are not limited to: (1) Data and written analysis on the number of 
quotations generated for options selected for the Pilot Program; (2) an 
assessment of the quotation spreads for the options selected for the 
Pilot Program; (3) an assessment of the impact of the Pilot Program on 
the capacity of the NYSE Amex's automated systems; (4) any capacity 
problems or other problems that arose related to the operation of the 
Pilot Program and how the Exchange addressed them; and (5) an 
assessment of trade through complaints that were sent by the Exchange 
during the operation of the Pilot Program and how they were addressed.
2. Statutory Basis
    The proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b) \5\ of the 
Act, in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5) \6\ in 
particular in that it is designed to prevent fraudulent and 
manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable 
principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with 
persons engaged in facilitating transactions in securities, and to 
remove impediments to and perfect the mechanisms of a free and open 
market and a national market system. The Exchange believes that the 
Pilot Program promotes just and equitable principles of trade by 
enabling public customers and other market participants to express 
their true prices to buy and sell options.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will 
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate 
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

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

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

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

    The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \7\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\8\ 
Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) significantly affect the 
protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any 
significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative prior to 
30 days from the date on which

[[Page 75716]]

it was filed, or such shorter time as the Commission may designate, if 
consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest, 
the proposed rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
    \8\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to 
determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or 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 e-mail to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-NYSEAmex-2010-107 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

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

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEAmex-2010-107. This 
file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail 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 business days between the hours of 
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for 
inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All 
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does 
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should 
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All 
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEAmex-2010-107 and should 
be submitted on or before December 27, 2010.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\9\
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    \9\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-30431 Filed 12-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P