[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 42 (Monday, March 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12649-12653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04204]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-80120; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2017-015]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; 
Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Adopt Rule 7017

February 28, 2017.
    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 February 17, 2017, 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 and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. 
The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the

[[Page 12650]]

proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to adopt Rule 7017 to enhance the level of 
information provided to a member acting as the stabilizing agent for a 
follow-on offering of additional shares of a security that is listed on 
Nasdaq.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ Proposed Rule 7017 defines ``Stabilizing Agent,'' in 
pertinent part, as ``a Nasdaq member that will engage . . . in 
stabilizing with respect to a security that is the subject of a 
Follow-On Offering on the day of such offering'', and defines 
``Follow-On Offering'' as ``a public offering of additional shares 
of a security that is already listed on Nasdaq.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's 
Web site at http://nasdaq.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
    Nasdaq is proposing to adopt Rule 7017 to enhance the level of 
information provided to a member acting as a Stabilizing Agent for a 
Follow-On Offering. A Follow-On Offering occurs when an issuer of a 
security listed on Nasdaq conducts an underwritten public offering of 
additional shares of the same security.\4\ As is the case with an 
initial public offering (``IPO''), shares are allocated to investors by 
the underwriter or underwriting syndicate through a book-building 
process prior to the day of the offering. However, since the security 
is already listed and trading in the public markets, the security is 
not subject to a unique process to establish its initial price 
following the offering. Rather, the security opens for trading as it 
would on any other day, with trading during a pre-market period 
commencing at 4:00 a.m. and an auction process--the Nasdaq Opening 
Cross (the ``Cross'')--that occurs at approximately 9:30 a.m. at the 
beginning of the regular trading session for the security.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Proposed Rule 7017 defines ``Follow-On Offering Security'' 
as ``a security that is the subject of a Follow-On Offering.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As is the case with an IPO, however, the Stabilizing Agent--usually 
the lead underwriter--engages in permissible ``stabilizing'', as 
defined in Rule 100 under Regulation M,\5\ for the offering. As 
provided by Rule 104 under Regulation M,\6\ stabilizing of an offering 
is permitted only to the extent that the person engaging in the 
activity complies with the limitations described in that rule. These 
limitations include a requirement that stabilizing must be solely for 
the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of 
the security, limitations on the maximum price of a stabilizing bid, 
and a requirement that a syndicate engaging in an offering maintain no 
more than one stabilizing bid at the same price and time in a given 
market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ 17 CFR 242.100.
    \6\ 17 CFR 242.104.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the case of a Follow-On Offering, the Stabilizing Agent may 
enter a stabilizing bid into the market for the purpose of supporting 
the price of the security on the day of the offering. Thus, the 
Stabilizing Agent stands ready during the course of the day to commit 
its capital in support of the Follow-On Offering Security, buying from 
investors that wish to sell the security to realize short-term gains 
(or to minimize short-term losses). The Stabilizing Agent thereby 
serves to dampen volatility in the security and promote the maintenance 
of a fair and orderly market. In particular, the Stabilizing Agent may 
enter a stabilizing order in the Cross to dampen volatility at the 
open, and may enter orders on behalf of customers seeking to buy or 
sell in the Cross. Because the function performed by the Stabilizing 
Agent is unique on the day of the offering, Nasdaq has concluded that 
providing additional information about pre-opening interest in the 
Follow-On Offering Security to the Stabilizing Agent will help it to 
optimize the opening of the stock and manage its own risk, thereby 
assisting in promoting a fair and orderly market. Accordingly, Nasdaq 
is proposing to introduce the Follow-On Offering Indicator Service (the 
``Service''), a specialized data product that will be made available 
solely to the Stabilizing Agent.
    In advance of the Cross for all securities, including securities 
that are the subject of a Follow-On Offering, Nasdaq disseminates the 
Order Imbalance Indicator, an electronic message containing information 
about the possible price and volume of the Cross. (The Order Imbalance 
Indicator is described in Rule 4752, and is often referred to as the 
``Net Order Imbalance Indicator,'' or ``NOII''.) The NOII is 
disseminated to market participants every five seconds, beginning at 
9:28 a.m. and concluding with the Cross at approximately 9:30 a.m. The 
Service would, in addition, make the same information contained in the 
NOII available to the Stabilizing Agent, every five seconds beginning 
at 9:20 a.m. until the time of the Cross. Specifically, as provided in 
Rule 4752, the information provided by the NOII includes the Current 
Reference Price,\7\ the number of shares eligible for execution in the 
Cross that are paired at the Current Reference Price, the size of any 
Imbalance,\8\ the buy or sell direction of any Imbalance, indicative 
prices at which the Cross would occur at that time and the percentage 
by which such prices are outside the current Nasdaq Market Center best 
bid or best offer,\9\ and an indication of whether marketable buy or 
sell orders would remain unexecuted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ See Rule 4752(a)(2)(A). The Current Reference Price is the 
single price that is at or within the current Nasdaq Market Center 
best bid and offer that satisfies stated criteria used to determine 
the price at which the Cross ultimately would occur, focused on 
maximizing order interaction.
    \8\ See Rule 4752(a)(1). An Imbalance is the number of shares to 
buy or sell entered for participation in the Cross--specifically, 
Market on Open (``MOO'') orders, Limit on Open (``LOO'') orders, and 
regular market hour orders entered prior to 9:28 a.m. (``Early 
Market Hours orders'')--that may not be matched with other eligible 
orders at the Current Reference Price.
    \9\ See Rule 4752(a)(2)(E). In contrast to the Current Reference 
Price, which signals a price within the Nasdaq best bid and offer at 
which order interaction would be maximized, the indicative prices 
signal the extent to which orders on the book may cause the Cross to 
occur at a price outside the current bid and offer. Accordingly, it 
signals the extent to which additional trading interest entered for 
potential execution in the Cross may alter the final execution price 
of the Cross. The indicative prices consist of the ``Near Clearing 
Price,'' which is the price at which MOO orders, LOO orders, Opening 
Imbalance Only (``OIO'') orders, Early Market Hours orders, and 
other orders and quotations on the Nasdaq Book (``Open Eligible 
Interest'') may execute, and the ``Far Clearing Price,'' which is 
the price at which MOO orders, LOO orders, OIO orders and Early 
Market Hours orders may execute.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, beginning at 9:20 a.m., the Service will provide the 
Stabilizing Agent with additional information about the shares that it 
has entered for potential execution in the Cross, similar to the 
information currently provided through Nasdaq's IPO Indicator Service 
with respect to the Nasdaq Halt Cross for an IPO. Specifically, the 
Service will provide the total number of shares

[[Page 12651]]

entered by the Stabilizing Agent for potential execution in the 
Cross,\10\ the price and buy or sell direction of Follow-On Offering 
Shares, the number and execution price of buy and sell Follow-On 
Offering Shares that would be executed in the Nasdaq Opening Cross if 
it were to price based on the most recent NOII information, and the 
number of buy and sell Follow-On Offering Shares that would not be 
executed at the price. The Stabilizing Agent will be able to organize 
this information on an order-by-order basis, or group it together into 
blocks of orders designated by the Stabilizing Agent. Nasdaq is not 
proposing at this time to provide the Stabilizing Agent for a Follow-On 
Offering with aggregated order book information of the sort that is 
currently provided through the IPO Book Viewer to the Stabilizing Agent 
for an IPO.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ Proposed Rule 7017 would define ``Follow-On Offering 
Shares'' as ``the shares of a Stabilizing Agent's orders entered for 
its own account or on behalf of customers for potential execution in 
the Nasdaq Opening Cross with respect to a Follow-On Offering 
Security.''
    \11\ See current Rule 7015(j), to be redesignated as Rule 
7017(b). The IPO Book Viewer provides the total number, and 
aggregate size, of orders on the book, grouped in increments of 
either $0.05, $0.10, or $0.25 at the election of the stabilizing 
agent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Nasdaq believes that providing this information to the Stabilizing 
Agent will assist it in performing its obligations with respect to the 
maintenance of a fair and orderly market by giving it more time in 
which to understand the forces of supply and demand for the Follow-On 
Offering Security in advance of its opening. This information will, in 
turn, allow the Stabilizing Agent to respond in a more informed manner 
to questions from customers and other market participants regarding 
expectations that an order to buy or sell with a stated price and size 
may be executable in the Cross. The information will also assist the 
Stabilizing Agent in making decisions about the appropriate level of 
capital to commit to support the security once trading commences. Once 
the Cross executes, the Service will cease to be available, since the 
information provided is relevant only to the Cross; similar information 
will not be provided to the Stabilizing Agent with respect to the 
Nasdaq Closing Cross on that day. Thus, the Stabilizing Agent will not 
be provided with any information not available to other market 
participants once the Cross occurs. In proposing to make the 
information provided through the Service available solely to the 
Stabilizing Agent, Nasdaq seeks to recognize and support the special 
obligations and risks undertaken by the Stabilizing Agent, but also to 
recognize that the market conditions of a Follow-On Offering are not 
the same as those of an IPO, because the Follow-On Offering Security 
has an established trading market that is not halted while the Follow-
On Offering is occurring. As a result, Nasdaq is seeking to strike a 
balance between supporting the Stabilizing Agent and the orderly 
trading of the Follow-On Offering Security without unduly altering the 
usual process for the daily opening of trading. While Nasdaq believes 
that the Service as proposed will adequately support the Stabilizing 
Agent, Nasdaq reserves the right to propose enhancements to the Service 
in the future based on experience.
    Nasdaq believes that the information to be provided through the 
Service is similar in purpose to the information available to the 
stabilizing agent for a follow-on offering of a security listed on the 
New York Stock Exchange (``NYSE''). Currently, as provided in NYSE Rule 
104(j), the Designated Market Maker (``DMM'') for a security has access 
to aggregated and certain order-specific information about securities 
for which it is the DMM at all times, including at the time of a 
follow-on offering. Moreover, the DMM is permitted to share this 
information with floor brokers to ``respond to an inquiry . . . in the 
normal course of business.'' \12\ When a follow-on offering is being 
conducted at NYSE, the DMM therefore has access to aggregated order 
book information and is free to share it with the floor broker for the 
firm acting as stabilizing agent for the offering.\13\ Thus, the 
stabilizing agent may use the information to respond to requests from 
its customers and others regarding expectations about the offering, and 
may use the information to inform decisions about committing capital in 
support of the offering. In fact, information from the DMM remains 
available not only prior to market open, but throughout the trading 
day. By providing a Stabilizing Agent on Nasdaq with early access to 
the NOII, as well as information about how the Stabilizing Agent's 
orders might perform in the Opening Cross, Nasdaq will provide the 
Stabilizing Agent with insights into the condition of the Nasdaq order 
book leading up to the Opening Cross. Thus, although the Service will 
not provide aggregated or order-specific information in exactly the 
same manner as is possible under Rule 104(j), Nasdaq believes that the 
Service will allow it to provide benefits to Stabilizing Agents for 
Follow-On Offerings conducted on Nasdaq similar in effect to those 
provided for offerings on NYSE, without altering the competing market 
maker model that Nasdaq employs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ NYSE Rule 104(j)(iii).
    \13\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Since the information provided through the Service will be directly 
available only to the Stabilizing Agent, Nasdaq believes that it is 
appropriate to adopt safeguards in order to ensure that the information 
is not misused. The safeguards will be identical to those adopted with 
respect to the IPO Book Viewer. Specifically, the proposed rule will 
require the Stabilizing Agent receiving the Service to maintain and 
enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve 
the following purposes:
     Restrict electronic access \14\ to information from the 
Service only to associated persons of the Stabilizing Agent who need to 
know the information in connection with stabilizing the Follow-On 
Offering Security and establishing its opening price;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ As discussed below, electronic access to the Service will 
be available on a displayed basis only.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Except as may be required for purposes of maintaining 
books and records for regulatory purposes,\15\ prevent the retention of 
information from the Service following the completion of the Cross for 
the Follow-On Offering Security;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ See, e.g., SEC Rule 17a-4(a)(4), 17 CFR 240.17a-4(a)(4).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Prevent persons with access to information from the 
Service from engaging in transactions in the Follow-On Offering 
Security other than transactions in the Cross; transactions on behalf 
of a customer; or stabilizing. Thus, for example, the Stabilizing Agent 
or its affiliates would not be permitted to use the information to 
engage in proprietary trading other than in support of bona fide 
stabilizing activity.
    However, for the avoidance of doubt regarding appropriate uses of 
the information, the proposed rule will also provide that nothing 
contained in the rule shall be construed to prohibit the member acting 
as the Stabilizing Agent from (i) engaging in stabilizing consistent 
with that role, or (ii) using the information provided from the Service 
to respond to inquiries from any person, including, without limitation, 
other members, customers, or associated persons of the Stabilizing 
Agent, regarding the expectations of the member acting as the 
Stabilizing Agent with regard to the possibility of executing stated 
quantities of an offering security at stated prices in the Cross. 
Because the Service will provide the

[[Page 12652]]

Stabilizing Agent with insights into the state of the Nasdaq order book 
in the period prior to the Cross, Nasdaq believes that the proposal is 
similar in effect to availability of information to the stabilizing 
agent for a follow-on offering on NYSE. Nasdaq further believes that 
the permitted uses of the information to be made available through the 
Service are entirely consistent with established practices at NYSE, 
under which the DMM may display aggregated order book information to 
the floor broker acting as stabilizing agent, who is then free to 
discuss this information with other members, customers, and associated 
persons of the stabilizing agent.
    The information provided through the Service will be available 
solely for display on the screen of a computer for which an entitlement 
has been provided by Nasdaq. Under no circumstances may a member 
redirect such information to another computer or reconfigure it for use 
in a non-displayed format, including, without limitation, in any 
trading algorithm. If a member becomes aware of any violation of the 
restrictions contained in the proposed rule, it must report the 
violation promptly to Nasdaq.
    The Service will be provided free of charge through the IPO 
Workstation, and at no additional charge to users of the Nasdaq 
Workstation. Although Nasdaq may, in the future, institute a charge for 
the Service, it is not proposing a fee at this time. The proposed rule 
change also moves provisions of Rule 7015 pertaining to the IPO 
Workstation, the IPO Indicator Service, and the IPO Book Viewer from 
that rule into proposed Rule 7017. In making this change, Nasdaq is 
adopting a more detailed description of the information currently 
provided through the IPO Indicator Service,\16\ but is not proposing 
any substantive changes to the rule or to the operation of the 
facilities in question. The new language states that:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ Specifically, the new language specifies the exact 
information provided through the IPO Indicator Service. This 
information was described in the rule filings that established the 
IPO Indicator Service, but was not detailed in the rule text. See 
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 73950 (December 29, 2014), 80 FR 
268 (January 5, 2015) (SR-NASDAQ-2014-100); Securities Exchange Act 
Release No. 74041 (January 13, 2015), 80 FR 2762 (January 20, 2015) 
(SR-NASDAQ-014-110).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The IPO Indicator Service provides Order Imbalance 
Indicator information for an IPO Security, as described in Rule 
4753(a)(3), and
     The IPO Indicator Service provides the total number of a 
member firm's IPO Shares,\17\ the price and buy or sell direction of 
such IPO Shares, the number and execution price of buy and sell IPO 
Shares that would be executed in the Nasdaq Halt Cross if the Nasdaq 
Halt Cross were to price based on the most recent Order Imbalance 
Indicator information, and the number of buy and sell IPO Shares that 
would not be executed at that price.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ Nasdaq is adding a definition of ``IPO Shares,'' to mean 
``the shares of a member firm's orders entered for potential 
execution in the Nasdaq Halt Cross for an IPO Security.'' ``IPO 
Security'' is defined as ``a security for which the halting and 
initial pricing procedures described in Rules 4120(c)(8) and (9) and 
4753 are available.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     A member may organize order information by order or order 
block.
     The IPO Indicator Service is available as an element of 
the Nasdaq Workstation Trader, subject to the fees provided for under 
Rule 7015. Alternatively, the IPO Indicator Service is available 
through a standalone Nasdaq IPO Workstation, at no cost.
2. Statutory Basis
    Nasdaq believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with 
the provisions of Section 6 of the Act \18\ in general, and furthers 
the objectives of Section 6(b)(5) \19\ in particular, in that the 
proposal 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 regulating, 
clearing, settling, processing information with respect to, and 
facilitating transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and 
perfect the mechanisms of a free and open market and a national market 
system and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest. 
Nasdaq further believes that the introduction of the Service without a 
fee at this time is consistent with Sections 6(b)(4) and (5) of the 
Act,\20\ in that it provides for the equitable allocation of reasonable 
dues, fees and other charges among recipients of Nasdaq data and is not 
designed to permit unfair discrimination between them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ 15 U.S.C. 78f.
    \19\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
    \20\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4), (5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Nasdaq believes that the proposed rule change will promote the 
goals of the Act by assisting the Stabilizing Agent for a Follow-On 
Offering Security in promoting a fair and orderly market. Specifically, 
by providing additional information regarding possible pricing and 
order execution outcomes for the Cross, the Service will give the 
Stabilizing Agent information that will assist it in achieving a range 
of goals. By being able to share such information with other members 
and customers, the Stabilizing Agent will enable greater participation 
in the Cross because it will be able to provide more certain 
information about the ability of investors to execute Orders at 
particular sizes and prices. Moreover, having greater knowledge about 
possible outcomes of the Cross prior to its execution will enable the 
Stabilizing Agent to make more informed decisions about the extent of 
capital it may need to commit in the Cross and after the commencement 
of trading in order to stabilize the price of the Follow-On Offering 
Security and thereby dampen volatility that might undermine investor 
confidence.
    Nasdaq further believes that the restrictions it proposes to impose 
on the use of the Service will protect against possible misuse of the 
provided information. Notably, the information will be provided only 
prior to the completion of the Cross and may not be retained 
thereafter, except to the extent necessary for record-retention 
purposes. The information will be disseminated in a display format only 
and may not be redirected or reconfigured for non-display usage (such 
as usage by a trading algorithm). Moreover, electronic access to the 
information will be available only to certain designated individuals 
with a role in conducting stabilizing activities, and persons with 
access may not engage in transactions other than stabilizing or 
transactions in the Cross or on behalf of a customer. As discussed 
above, the Service is intended to allow the Stabilizing Agent to draw 
conclusions about the state of the Nasdaq order book prior to the 
Cross, and is therefore intended to achieve an effect similar to the 
availability of aggregated order book information under NYSE Rule 
104(j). Although the Commission has not expressed any concerns about 
the availability of aggregated information to DMMs and floor brokers 
(including stabilizing agents) with whom they share such information on 
NYSE, Nasdaq believes that the safeguards it proposes around the use of 
the Service's information by a Stabilizing Agent will provide added 
assurance to members and the investing public that the Service will not 
be misused.
    Finally, Nasdaq notes that although the Service will be available 
only to Stabilizing Agents, this limitation is consistent with the 
protection of investors because the Stabilizing Agent plays a unique 
role on the day of a Follow-On Offering because it must commit capital 
in support of the Follow-On Offering Security once trading

[[Page 12653]]

begins. Because the Service will assist the stabilizing agent in 
performing this function, which is performed by no other broker, Nasdaq 
believes that it is reasonable to limit access to the Service to the 
Stabilizing Agent. Moreover, because the Service will cease to be 
available once the Cross is executed and the information provided 
therein will quickly become stale, Nasdaq does not believe that access 
to the information will provide the Stabilizing Agent with any unfair 
advantage.
    Nasdaq believes that the proposal to move provisions of Rule 7015 
into Rule 7017 is consistent with the Act because the change is 
intended to promote a clear understanding of the rule text by including 
in a single rule all Nasdaq data services that are specifically 
designed to support the initial trading of securities that are the 
subject of an IPO or a Follow-On Offering. Nasdaq further believes that 
the proposal to make the Service available to eligible recipients at no 
additional charge is reasonable because it will not result in any 
increase in the costs incurred by a Stabilizing Agent to receive the 
additional information. Nasdaq further believes that the proposal is 
consistent with an equitable allocation of fees and not unfairly 
discriminatory because additional information is being provided to a 
limited group of potential users in order to assist in the promotion of 
fair and orderly markets during a Follow-On Offering. Accordingly, the 
absence of an additional fee is designed to encourage eligible members 
to accept the information in order to ensure that the goals of the 
proposal are advanced to the greatest extent possible.
    Nasdaq further believes that the non-substantive changes it is 
making to move information about the IPO Indicator Service from Rule 
7015 to new Rule 7017, and to provide additional detail in Rule 7017 
about the information available through the IPO Indicator Service, are 
consistent with the Act because they will promote a clearer 
understanding of the IPO Indicator Service by members and other 
interested persons.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    Nasdaq 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. In fact, because the Service is 
intended to provide the Stabilizing Agent with information about the 
condition of the Nasdaq order book in advance of the Cross, Nasdaq 
believes that the proposal will help it compete more effectively with 
NYSE by allowing it to provide to Stabilizing Agents with information 
that is similar in effect to the information available to stabilizing 
agents through the NYSE DMM. Accordingly, Nasdaq does not believe that 
there can be any reasonable objection to the proposal on competitive 
grounds.

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

    Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register or within such longer period up to 90 days (i) as the 
Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be 
appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to 
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
    (A) By order approve or disapprove such proposed rule change, or
    (B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule 
change should be 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-NASDAQ-2017-015 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

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

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NASDAQ-2017-015. 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-2017-015 and should 
be submitted on or before March 27, 2017.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\21\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \21\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-04204 Filed 3-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P