[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60451-60453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27346]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-82325; File No. SR-NYSE-2017-67]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To 
Amend Rule 300

December 14, 2017.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby 
given that on December 11, 2017, New York Stock Exchange LLC (``NYSE'' 
or the ``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(the ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I 
and II 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\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
    \3\ 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 Rule 300 (Trading Licenses). The 
proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's website at 
www.nyse.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 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, of the most 
significant parts of such statements.

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

1. Purpose
    NYSE Rule 300(b) currently provides that, in each annual offering, 
up to 1,366 trading licenses for the following calendar year will be 
sold annually at a price per trading license to be established each 
year by the Exchange pursuant to a rule filing submitted to the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') and that the price 
per trading license will be published each year in the Exchange's price 
list.
    The Exchange proposes to delete the phrase ``each year'' in the 
first and second sentences of Rule 300(b) and the phrase ``established 
for that year by the Exchange pursuant to section (b) above'' in Rule 
300(b)(i).
    The Exchange establishes its fees for trading licenses pursuant to 
separate proposed rule changes. The last time the Exchange amended its 
trading license fee was on July 1, 2016.\4\ Because the NYSE Price List 
sets forth this annual fee and is continuously available on the 
Exchange's website, the Exchange believes it is redundant to make a 
separate proposed rule change under Rule 300(b) to ``establish'' a 
trading license fee even if the fee is not changing. The Exchange 
believes that amending Rule 300(b) by deleting the proposed text would 
relieve the Exchange of the need to make a rule filing with the 
Commission in those years when the fee would remain the same, and only 
require a rule filing when the Exchange is changing the amount of the 
fee set forth in the NYSE Price List. The proposal is consistent with 
the way the Exchange handles the other fees set forth in its Price 
List. The remaining requirements of Rule 300 would remain unchanged.
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    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 78233 (July 6, 
2016), 81 FR 45190 (July 12, 2016) (SR-NYSE-2016-47) (establishing 
the current trading license fee of $50,000 for the first license 
held by a member organization and no charge for additional licenses 
held by a member organization).
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2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with Section 6(b) of the Act,\5\ in general, and

[[Page 60452]]

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. In particular, the 
Exchange believes that the proposal removes impediments to and perfects 
the mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system by 
eliminating redundant annual rule filings when the Exchange is not 
changing its fees. The Exchange further believes that the proposal 
removes impediments to and perfects the mechanism of a free and open 
market by reducing potential confusion among market participants and 
the investing public who may see a rule filing and mistake it for a fee 
change when in fact a fee is not changing. For these reasons, the 
Exchange believes that the proposed rule filing would not be 
inconsistent with the public interest and the protection of investors 
because investors will not be harmed and in fact would benefit from 
added clarity and consistency, thereby reducing potential confusion.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    For the foregoing reasons, the Exchange believes that the proposal 
is 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 that is not necessary or appropriate 
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The proposed rule change is 
not designed to address any competitive issues but rather eliminate the 
requirement for a rule filing that would not change any fees and that 
could cause potential confusion that fees may be changing in a year 
when they are not.

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 Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \7\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\8\ 
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)(iii) of the Act \9\ and subparagraph (f)(6) Rule 
19b-4 thereunder.\10\
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
    \8\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \10\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) 
requires the Exchange to give the Commission written notice of the 
Exchange's intent to file the proposed rule change, along with a 
brief description and 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. The 
Exchange has satisfied this requirement.
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    A proposed rule change filed pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6) under the 
Act \11\ normally does not become operative for 30 days after the date 
of its filing. However, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) \12\ permits the 
Commission to designate a shorter time if such action is consistent 
with the protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange 
has asked the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that 
the proposal may become operative immediately upon filing. The Exchange 
believes that waiver of the operative delay is consistent with the 
protection of investors and the public interest because it would reduce 
potential confusion, without delay, by eliminating the requirement for 
the Exchange to file a redundant proposed rule change that does not 
change a fee. The Commission believes the waiver of the operative delay 
is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. 
Therefore, the Commission hereby waives the operative delay and 
designates the proposal operative upon filing.\13\
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    \11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \12\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
    \13\ 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 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. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under 
Section 19(b)(2)(B) \14\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed 
rule change should be approved or disapproved.
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    \14\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
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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-NYSE-2017-67 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

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

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2017-67. 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 website (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 website 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. Persons submitting comments are 
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying 
information from comment submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions 
should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2017-67 and should

[[Page 60453]]

be submitted on or before January 10, 2018.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\15\
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    \15\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-27346 Filed 12-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P