[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70782-70784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29441]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-65711; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2011-148]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change 
Relating to Routing Fees to C2

November 8, 2011.
    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 November 1, 2011, 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, II, and III 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 modify Rule 7050 governing pricing for 
NASDAQ members using the NASDAQ Options Market (``NOM''), NASDAQ's 
facility for executing and routing standardized equity and index 
options.
    The text of the proposed rule change is set forth below. Proposed 
new text is in italics and deleted text is in [brackets].
* * * * *
7050. NASDAQ Options Market
    The following charges shall apply to the use of the order execution 
and routing services of the NASDAQ Options Market for all securities.
* * * * *
    (4) Fees for routing contracts to markets other than the NASDAQ 
Options Market shall be assessed as provided below. The current fees 
and a historical record of applicable fees shall be posted on the 
NasdaqTrader.com Web site.

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                          Exchange                             Customer       Firm          MM      Professional
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BATS.......................................................        $0.36        $0.55        $0.55         $0.36
BOX........................................................        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.06
CBOE.......................................................        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.26
CBOE orders greater than 99 contracts in NDX, MNX ETFs,            $0.24        $0.55        $0.55         $0.26
 ETNs & HOLDRs.............................................
C2.........................................................    $0.[31]50        $0.55        $0.55     $0.[46]51
ISE........................................................        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.24
ISE Select Symbols *.......................................        $0.18        $0.55        $0.55         $0.34
NYSE Arca Penny Pilot......................................        $0.50        $0.55        $0.55         $0.50
NYSE Arca Non Penny Pilot..................................        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.06
NYSE AMEX..................................................        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.26
PHLX (for all options other than PHLX Select Symbols)......        $0.06        $0.55        $0.55         $0.26
PHLX Select Symbols **.....................................        $0.30        $0.55        $0.55         $0.46
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* These fees are applicable to orders routed to ISE that are subject to Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing
  Liquidity in Select Symbols. See ISE's Schedule of Fees for the complete list of symbols that are subject to
  these fees.
** These fees are applicable to orders routed to PHLX that are subject to Rebates and Fees for Adding and
  Removing Liquidity in Select Symbols. See PHLX's Fee Schedule for the complete list of symbols that are
  subject to these fees.

* * * * *
    The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's 
Web site at http://www.nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com, at the principal 
office of the

[[Page 70783]]

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 the 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    NASDAQ is proposing to modify Rule 7050 governing fees assessed for 
option orders entered into NOM but routed to and executed on away 
markets (``Routing Fees''). Specifically, NASDAQ is proposing to amend 
Customer and Professional Routing Fees for orders routed to the C2 
Options Exchange, Inc. (``C2'').
    The Exchange currently assesses the following Routing Fees to route 
orders to C2: A Customer is assessed $0.31 per contract; a Firm is 
assessed $0.55 per contract; a Market Maker is assessed $0.55 per 
contract; and a Professional is assessed $0.46 per contract. The 
Exchange is proposing to amend the Customer Routing Fee to C2 from 
$0.31 per contract to $0.50 per contract and the Professional Routing 
Fee from $.33 [sic] to $.45 [sic] per contract. The other C2 Routing 
Fees for Firms and Market Makers would remain the same.
    C2 recently amended its Fees Schedule to increase its public 
customer taker fee from $.25 per contract to $.44 per contract and to 
increase its professional taker fee from $.33 per contract to $.45 per 
contract.\3\ The Exchange is proposing to amend its Customer and 
Professional Routing Fees to C2 to account for this increase. In 
addition, NASDAQ Options Services LLC (``NOS''), a member of the 
Exchange, is the Exchange's exclusive order router. Each time NOS 
routes to away markets NOS is charged a $0.06 clearing fee and, in the 
case of certain exchanges, a transaction fee is also charged in certain 
symbols, which are passed through to the Exchange. The Exchange is 
proposing this amendment in order to recoup Customer \4\ and 
Professional \5\ clearing and transaction charges incurred by the 
Exchange when orders are routed to C2.
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    \3\ See SR-C2-2011-032.
    \4\ The Exchange is proposing to recoup the $.44 per contract 
public customer transaction fee for orders routed to C2 along with 
the $0.06 clearing fee which is incurred by the Exchange, as 
explained above. See C2 Fees Schedule.
    \5\ The Exchange is proposing to recoup the $.45 per contract 
professional transaction fee for orders routed to C2 along with the 
$0.06 clearing fee which is incurred by the Exchange, as explained 
above. See C2 Fees Schedule.
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2. Statutory Basis
    NASDAQ believes that the proposed rule changes are consistent with 
the provisions of Section 6 of the Act,\6\ in general, and with Section 
6(b)(4) of the Act,\7\ in particular, in that it provides for the 
equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and other charges among 
members and issuers and other persons using any facility or system 
which NASDAQ operates or controls.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f.
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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    The Exchange believes that these fees are reasonable because they 
seek to recoup costs that are incurred by the Exchange when routing 
Customer and Professional orders to C2 on behalf of its members. Each 
destination market's transaction charge varies and there is a standard 
clearing charge for each transaction incurred by the Exchange. The 
Exchange believes that the proposed Routing Fees will enable the 
Exchange to recover the public customer and professional transaction 
fees assessed by C2, plus clearing fees for the execution of Customer 
and Professional orders. The Exchange also believes that the proposed 
Routing Fees are equitable and not unfairly discriminatory because they 
will be uniformly applied to all Customers and Professionals.
    NASDAQ is one of nine options market in the national market system 
for standardized options. Joining NASDAQ and electing to trade options 
is entirely voluntary. Under these circumstances, NASDAQ's fees must be 
competitive and low in order for NASDAQ to attract order flow, execute 
orders, and grow as a market. NASDAQ thus believes that its fees are 
fair and reasonable and consistent with the Exchange Act.

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.

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

    The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act \8\ and paragraph (f)(2) of Rule 19b-4 \9\ 
thereunder. 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.
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    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
    \9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(2).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments

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

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-2011-148 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-NASDAQ-2011-148. 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

[[Page 70784]]

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 
a.m. and 3 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-2011-148 and should 
be submitted on or before December 6, 2011.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\10\
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    \10\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-29441 Filed 11-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P