[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60977-60978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24018]



[[Page 60977]]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-70529; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2013-127]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change to 
the Clearly Erroneous Rule

September 26, 2013.
    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 September 26, 2013, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (``NASDAQ'' or 
``Exchange''), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``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 extend the pilot period of recent 
amendments to Rule 11890, concerning clearly erroneous transactions, so 
that the pilot will now expire on April 8, 2014. The Exchange also 
proposes to remove certain references to individual stock trading 
pauses contained in Rule 11890(a)(2)(C)(4).
    The text of the proposed rule change is available from NASDAQ's Web 
site at http://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com/Filings/, at NASDAQ's principal 
office, 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
    On September 10, 2010, the Commission approved, for a pilot period 
to end December 10, 2010, a proposed rule change submitted by the 
Exchange, together with related rule changes of the BATS Exchange, 
Inc., NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc., Chicago Board Options Exchange, 
Incorporated, Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc., EDGA Exchange, Inc., EDGX 
Exchange, Inc., International Securities Exchange LLC, New York Stock 
Exchange LLC, NYSE MKT LLC (formerly, NYSE Amex LLC), NYSE Arca, Inc., 
and National Stock Exchange, Inc., to amend certain of their respective 
rules to set forth clearer standards and curtail discretion with 
respect to breaking erroneous trades.\3\ The changes were adopted to 
address concerns that the lack of clear guidelines for dealing with 
clearly erroneous transactions may have added to the confusion and 
uncertainty faced by investors on May 6, 2010. The pilot program was 
extended several times since its adoption and is currently set to 
expire on September 30, 2013.\4\ In its rule change that extended the 
pilot program to September 30, 2013,\5\ the Exchange also adopted a 
provision designed to address the operation of the National Market 
System Plan to Address Extraordinary Market Volatility \6\ (the ``Limit 
Up-Limit Down Plan''). The Exchange believes the benefits to market 
participants from the more objective clearly erroneous executions rule 
should continue on a pilot basis through April 8, 2014, which is one 
year following commencement of operations of the Limit Up-Limit Down 
Plan. The Exchange believes that continuing the pilot during this time 
will protect against any unanticipated consequences. Thus, the Exchange 
believes that the protections of the Clearly Erroneous Rule should 
continue while the industry gains further experience operating the 
Limit Up-Limit Down Plan.
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    \3\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 62886 (September 10, 
2010), 75 FR 56613 (September 16, 2010).
    \4\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68819 (February 1, 
2013), 78 FR 9438 (February 8, 2013) (SR-NASDAQ-2013-022).
    \5\ Id.
    \6\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 67091 (May 31, 2012), 77 
FR 33498 (June 6, 2012); see also Rule 11890(g).
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    The Exchange also proposes to eliminate all references in Rule 
11890 to individual stock trading pauses issued by a primary listing 
market. Specifically, Rule 11890(a)(2)(C)(4) provides specific rules to 
follow with respect to review of an execution as potentially clearly 
erroneous when there was an individual stock trading pause issued for 
that security and the security is included in the S&P 500 Index, the 
Russell 1000 Index, or a pilot list of Exchange Traded Products 
(``Subject Securities''). The stock trading pauses described in Rule 
11890(a)(2)(C)(4) are being phased out as securities become subject to 
the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan pursuant to a phased implementation 
schedule. The Limit Up-Limit Down Plan is already operational with 
respect to all Subject Securities, and thus, the Exchange believes that 
all references to individual stock trading pauses should be removed, 
including all cross-references to Rule 11890(a)(2)(C)(4) contained in 
other portions of Rule 11890.\7\
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    \7\ The Exchange notes that certain Exchange Traded Products 
(``ETPs'') are not yet subject to the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan. 
Because such ETPs are not on the pilot list of securities, such ETPs 
are not subject to Rule 11890(a)(2)(C)(4). Securities Exchange Act 
Release No. 65104 (August 11, 2011), 76 FR 51076 (August 17, 2011) 
(SR-NASDAQ-2011-116) (notice of filing and immediate effectiveness 
to amend the clearly erroneous rule to specify that Rule 
11890(a)(2)(C)(4) applies only to the current securities of the 
Individual Stock Trading Pause pilot). Accordingly, the proposed 
rule change does not change the status quo with respect to such 
ETPs. As amended, all securities, including ETPs not subject to the 
Limit Up-Limit Down Plan, will continue to be subject to Rule 
11890(a)(2)(C)(1)-(3).
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    The Exchange is also making technical amendments to certain 
citations within Rule 11890 to make them more accurate.
2. Statutory Basis
    The statutory basis for the proposed rule change is Section 6(b)(5) 
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ``Act''),\8\ which requires 
the rules of an exchange 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. The Exchange believes that the pilot 
program promotes just and equitable principals of trade in that it 
promotes transparency and uniformity across markets concerning review 
of transactions as clearly erroneous. More specifically, the Exchange 
believes that the extension of the pilot would help assure that the 
determination of whether a clearly erroneous trade has occurred will be 
based on clear and objective criteria, and that the resolution of the 
incident will occur promptly through a

[[Page 60978]]

transparent process. The proposed rule change would also help assure 
consistent results in handling erroneous trades across the U.S. 
markets, thus furthering fair and orderly markets, the protection of 
investors and the public interest. Although the Limit Up-Limit Down 
Plan will become fully operational during the same time period as the 
proposed extended pilot, the Exchange believes that maintaining the 
pilot will help to protect against unanticipated consequences. To that 
end, the extension will allow the Exchange to determine whether Rule 
11890 is necessary once the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan is fully 
operational and, if so, whether improvements can be made. Finally, the 
elimination of references to individual stock trading pauses will help 
to avoid confusion amongst market participants, which is consistent 
with the Act. As described above, individual stock trading pauses have 
been replaced by the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan with respect to all 
Subject Securities.
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    \8\ 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 
result in any burden on competition that is not necessary or 
appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act, as amended. To 
the contrary, the Exchange believes that the Financial Industry 
Regulatory Authority and other national securities exchanges are also 
filing similar proposals, and thus, that the proposal will help to 
ensure consistency across market centers.

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

    Written comments were neither solicited nor received.

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

    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 for 30 
days from the date on which 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 \9\ and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.\10\
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    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \10\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii). As required under Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii), the Exchange provided the Commission with written 
notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change, along with a 
brief description and the text of the proposed rule change, at least 
five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule 
change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission.
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    The Exchange has asked the Commission to waive the 30-day operative 
delay so that the proposal may become operative immediately upon 
filing. The Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay 
is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest, 
as it will allow the pilot program to continue uninterrupted, thereby 
avoiding investor confusion that could result from a temporary 
interruption in the pilot program. For this reason, the Commission 
designates the proposed rule change to be operative upon filing.\11\
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    \11\ For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, 
the Commission has also considered the proposed rule's impact on 
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 
78c(f).
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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.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposal 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-2013-127 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-2013-127. 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-2013-127 and should 
be submitted on or before October 23, 2013.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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    \12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-24018 Filed 10-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P