[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 243 (Monday, December 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78704-78705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32355]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-65943; File No. SR-NYSEAmex-2011-95]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing 
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Amending the NYSE 
Amex Options Fee Schedule

December 13, 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 30, 2011, NYSE Amex LLC (the ``Exchange'' or ``NYSE Amex'') 
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') the 
proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which 
Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory organization. The 
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the 
proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 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 the NYSE Amex Options Fee Schedule 
(``Fee Schedule'') for Qualified Contingent Cross (``QCC'') trades. The 
proposed change will be operative on December 1, 2011. The text of the 
proposed rule change is available at the Exchange, the Commission's 
Public Reference Room, and http://www.nyse.com.

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,

[[Page 78705]]

of the most significant parts of such statements.

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

1. Purpose
    The Exchange proposes to amend the Fee Schedule for QCC trades.\3\ 
Specifically, the Exchange proposes to exclude Customer-to-Customer QCC 
trades from the existing Floor Broker Rebate of $.03 per contract, 
which the Exchange inadvertently did not do when QCC fees were 
implemented in September 2011.\4\ The Exchange notes that there is no 
execution charge for a Customer-to-Customer QCC trade and as such, 
including such non-revenue generating trades among those that generate 
a rebate for Floor Brokers is not economic for the Exchange and does 
not provide an offsetting benefit to other market participants, for 
example, by bringing additional order flow to the Exchange. The 
Exchange notes that at least one other exchange similarly excludes free 
customer-to-customer trades from floor broker rebates, and thus such a 
practice is not novel.\5\
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    \3\ The QCC permits an NYSE Amex ATP Holder to effect a 
qualified contingent trade (``QCT'') in a Regulation NMS stock and 
cross the options leg of the trade on the Exchange immediately upon 
entry and without order exposure if the order is for at least 1,000 
contracts, is part of a QCT, and is executed at a price at least 
equal to the NBBO, as long as there are no Customer Orders in the 
Exchange's Consolidated Book at the same price. See Securities 
Exchange Act Release No. 65047 (August 5, 2011), 76 FR 49812 (August 
11, 2011) (SR-NYSEAmex-2011-56).
    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 65472 (October 3, 
2011), 76 FR 62887 (October 11, 2011) (SR-NYSEAmex-2011-72).
    \5\ See Nasdaq PHLX LLC Fee Schedule, Section VII, at 18 
(excluding various executions, including Customer-to-Customer 
trades, from the Options Floor Broker Subsidy), available at http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/content/marketregulation/membership/phlx/feesched.pdf.
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    The proposed changes will be operative on December 1, 2011.
2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with the provisions of Section 6(b) \6\ of the Securities Exchange Act 
of 1934 (the ``Act''), in general, and Section 6(b)(4) \7\ of the Act, 
in particular, in that it is designed to provide for the equitable 
allocation of reasonable dues, fees, and other charges among its 
members and other persons using its facilities. The Exchange believes 
that the proposed change is reasonable, equitable, and not unfairly 
discriminatory because it will apply uniformly to all Floor Brokers and 
it is not economic for the Exchange to pay a Floor Broker Rebate for a 
trade that does not generate trade execution revenues for the Exchange 
or provide any offsetting benefits to market participants generally, 
for example, by bringing additional order flow to the Exchange. Under 
such circumstances, the Exchange believes that it would be unfair to 
market participants that are not Floor Brokers to continue to pay Floor 
Brokers the Floor Broker Rebate from the general revenues of the 
Exchange.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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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 foregoing rule change is effective upon filing pursuant to 
Section 19(b)(3)(A) \8\ of the Act and subparagraph (f)(2) of Rule 19b-
4 \9\ thereunder, because it establishes a due, fee, or other charge 
imposed by the Exchange. At any time within 60 days of the filing of 
such proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily 
suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such 
action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the 
protection of investors, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of 
the Act.
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    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \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-NYSEAmex-2011-95 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-2011-95. 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 NW., 
Washington, DC 20549, on official 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-2011-95 and should 
be submitted on or before January 9, 2012.

    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. 2011-32355 Filed 12-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P