[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 231 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71488-71490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28321]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-73689; File No. SR-BX-2014-057]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of 
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change Relating 
to Extension of the Exchange's Penny Pilot Program and Replacement of 
Penny Pilot Issues That Have Been Delisted

November 25, 2014.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act'') \1\, and Rule 19b-4 \2\ thereunder, notice is hereby given 
that on November 21, 2014, NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc. (``Exchange'' or ``BX'') 
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

    BX is filing with the Commission a proposal to amend Chapter VI, 
Section 5 (Minimum Increments) to extend through June 30, 2015, the 
Penny Pilot Program in options classes in certain issues (``Penny 
Pilot'' or ``Pilot''), and to change the date when delisted classes may 
be replaced in the Penny Pilot.\3\
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    \3\ The Penny Pilot was established in June 2012 and extended in 
2014. See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 67256 (June 26, 
2012), 77 FR 39277 (July 2, 2012) (SR-BX-2012-030) (order approving 
BX option rules and establishing Penny Pilot); and 72246 (May 23, 
2014), 79 FR 31160 (May 30, 2014) (SR-BX-2014-027) (notice of filing 
and immediate effectiveness extending the Penny Pilot through 
December 31, 2014).
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    The Exchange requests that the Commission waive the 30-day 
operative

[[Page 71489]]

delay period to the extent needed for timely industry-wide 
implementation of the proposal.
    The text of the amended Exchange rule is set forth immediately 
below.
    Proposed new language is in italics and proposed deleted language 
is [bracketed].
NASDAQ OMX BX Rules
Options Rules
* * * * *
Chapter VI Trading Systems
* * * * *
Sec. 5 Minimum Increments
    (a) The Board may establish minimum quoting increments for options 
contracts traded on BX Options. Such minimum increments established by 
the Board will be designated as a stated policy, practice, or 
interpretation with respect to the administration of this Section 
within the meaning of Section 19 of the Exchange Act and will be filed 
with the SEC as a rule change for effectiveness upon filing. Until such 
time as the Board makes a change in the increments, the following 
principles shall apply:
    (1) If the options series is trading at less than $3.00, five (5) 
cents;
    (2) If the options series is trading at $3.00 or higher, ten (10) 
cents; and
    (3) For a pilot period scheduled to expire on [December 31, 2014] 
June 30, 2015, if the options series is trading pursuant to the Penny 
Pilot program one (1) cent if the options series is trading at less 
than $3.00, five (5) cents if the options series is trading at $3.00 or 
higher, unless for QQQQs, SPY and IWM where the minimum quoting 
increment will be one cent for all series regardless of price. A list 
of such options shall be communicated to membership via an Options 
Trader Alert (``OTA'') posted on the Exchange's Web site.
    The Exchange may replace any pilot issues that have been delisted 
with the next most actively traded multiply listed options classes that 
are not yet included in the pilot, based on trading activity in the 
previous six months. The replacement issues may be added to the pilot 
on the second trading day following [July 1, 2014] January 1, 2015.
    (4) No Change.
* * * * *
    The text of the proposed rule change is also available on the 
Exchange's Web site at http://nasdaqomxbx.cchwallstreet.com, at the 
principal office of the 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 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The purpose of this filing is to amend Chapter VI, Section 5 to 
extend the Penny Pilot through June 30, 2015, and to change the date 
when delisted classes may be replaced in the Penny Pilot. The Exchange 
believes that extending the Penny Pilot will allow for further analysis 
of the Penny Pilot and a determination of how the program should be 
structured in the future.
    Under the Penny Pilot, the minimum price variation for all 
participating options classes, except for the Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking 
Stock (``QQQQ''), the SPDR S&P 500 Exchange Traded Fund (``SPY'') and 
the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (``IWM''), is $0.01 for all 
quotations in options series that are quoted at less than $3 per 
contract and $0.05 for all quotations in options series that are quoted 
at $3 per contract or greater. QQQQ, SPY and IWM are quoted in $0.01 
increments for all options series. The Penny Pilot is currently 
scheduled to expire on December 31, 2014.
    The Exchange proposes to extend the time period of the Penny Pilot 
through June 30, 2015, and to provide revised dates for adding 
replacement issues to the Penny Pilot. The Exchange proposes that any 
Penny Pilot Program issues that have been delisted may be replaced on 
the second trading day following January 1, 2015. The replacement 
issues will be selected based on trading activity in the previous six 
months.\4\
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    \4\ The replacement issues will be announced to the Exchange's 
membership via an Options Trader Alert (OTA) posted on the 
Exchange's Web site. The Exchange proposes in its Penny Pilot rule 
that replacement issues will be selected based on trading activity 
in the previous six months. The replacement issues would be 
identified based on The Option Clearing Corporation's trading volume 
data from June 1, 2014 through November 30, 2014. The month 
immediately preceding the replacement issues' addition to the Pilot 
Program (i.e. December) would not be used for purposes of the six-
month analysis.
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    This filing does not propose any substantive changes to the Penny 
Pilot Program; all classes currently participating in the Penny Pilot 
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 potential increase 
in quote traffic.
2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that its proposal is consistent with Section 
6(b) of the Act \5\ in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 
6(b)(5) of the Act \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 mechanism of a free and open 
market and a national market system and, in general, to protect 
investors and the public interest.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    In particular, the proposed rule change, which extends the Penny 
Pilot for an additional six months through June 30, 2015, and changes 
the date for replacing Penny Pilot issues that were delisted to the 
second trading day following January 1, 2015, will enable public 
customers and other market participants to express their true prices to 
buy and sell options for the benefit of all market participants. This 
is consistent with the 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. To the contrary, this proposal 
is pro-competitive because it allows Penny Pilot issues to continue 
trading on the Exchange. Moreover, the Exchange believes that the 
proposed rule change will allow for further analysis of the Pilot and a 
determination of how the Pilot should be structured in the future; and 
will serve to promote regulatory clarity and consistency, thereby 
reducing burdens on the marketplace and facilitating investor 
protection. The Pilot is an industry wide initiative supported by all 
other option

[[Page 71490]]

exchanges. The Exchange believes that extending the Pilot will allow 
for continued competition between market participants on the Exchange 
trading similar products as their counterparts on other exchanges, 
while at the same time allowing the Exchange to continue to compete for 
order flow with other exchanges in option issues trading as part of the 
Pilot.

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

    Because the foregoing 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, it has become 
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) \7\ of the Act and 
subparagraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b-4 thereunder.\8\
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \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: (i) 
Necessary or appropriate in the public interest; (ii) for the 
protection of investors; or (iii) 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 email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-BX-2014-057 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Brent J. Fields, 
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, Station Place, 100 F 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-9303.
* * * * *
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-BX-2014-057. 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 BX. 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-BX-2014-057 and 
should be submitted on or before December 23, 2014.

    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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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-28321 Filed 12-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P