[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 247 (Thursday, December 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66798-66800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27989]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-84873; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2018-96]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca Inc.; Notice of Filing
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Commentary
.02 to Rule 6.72-O in Order To Extend the Penny Pilot in Options
Classes in Certain Issues Through June 30, 2019
December 19, 2018.
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 18, 2018, NYSE Arca Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or
``NYSE Arca'') 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 Commentary .02 to Rule 6.72-O in
order to extend the Penny Pilot in options classes in certain issues
(``Pilot Program'') previously approved by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (``Commission'') through June 30, 2019. The Pilot Program is
currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2018. 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
The Exchange hereby proposes to amend Commentary .02 to Rule 6.72-O
to extend the time period of the Pilot Program, which is currently
scheduled to expire on December 31, 2018, through June 30, 2019.\4\ The
Exchange also proposes that the date to replace issues in the Pilot
Program that have been delisted be revised to the second trading day
following January 1, 2019.\5\ The Exchange believes that extending the
Pilot would allow for further analysis of the Pilot Program and a
determination of how the Pilot Program should be structured in the
future.
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\4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 83512 (June 25,
2018), 83 FR 30793 (June 29, 2018) (SR-NYSEArca-2018-48).
\5\ The month immediately preceding a replacement class's
addition to the Pilot Program (i.e., December) would not be used for
purposes of the analysis for determining the replacement class.
Thus, a replacement class to be added on the second trading day
following January 1, 2019 would be identified based on The Option
Clearing Corporation's trading volume data from June 1, 2018 through
November 30, 2018. The Exchange will announce the replacement issues
to the Exchange's membership through a Trader Update.
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This filing does not propose any substantive changes to the Pilot
Program: all classes currently participating 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 increase in quote traffic.
2. Statutory Basis
The proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b) \6\ of the
Act, in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5),\7\ 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 mechanisms of a free and open
market and a national market system.
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\6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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In particular, the proposed rule change, which extends the Penny
Pilot Program for six months, allows the Exchange to continue to
participate in a program that has been viewed as beneficial to traders,
investors and public customers and viewed as
[[Page 66799]]
successful by the other options exchanges participating in it.
Accordingly, the Exchange believes that the proposal is consistent with
the Act because it would allow the Exchange to extend the Pilot Program
prior to its expiration on December 31, 2018. The Exchange notes that
this proposal does not propose any new policies or provisions that are
unique or unproven, but instead relates to the continuation of an
existing program that operates on a pilot basis.
The Exchange believes that the Pilot Program promotes just and
equitable principles of trade by enabling public customers and other
market participants to express their true prices to buy and sell
options to the benefit of all market participants.
The proposal to extend the Pilot Program is designed 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 mechanisms of
a free and open market and a national market system, by allowing the
Exchange and the Commission additional time to analyze the impact of
the Pilot Program while also allowing the Exchange to continue to
compete for order flow with other exchanges in option issues trading as
part of the Pilot Program.
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. Specifically, the Exchange
believes that, by extending the expiration of the Pilot Program, the
proposed rule change will allow for further analysis of the Pilot
Program and a determination of how this Program should be structured in
the future. In doing so, the proposed rule change will also serve to
promote regulatory clarity and consistency, thereby reducing burdens on
the marketplace and facilitating investor protection. The Pilot Program
is an industry-wide initiative supported by all other option exchanges.
The Exchange believes that extending the Pilot Program will allow for
continued competition between Exchange market participants 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
Program.
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) of the Act \8\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \9\ thereunder. 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 after the date of the filing, 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 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act \10\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)
\11\ thereunder.
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\8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
\9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
\11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)
requires a self-regulatory organization to give the Commission
written notice of its intent to file 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 under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \12\ normally
does not become operative prior to 30 days after the date of filing.
However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\13\ the Commission may
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 Commission believes
that waiving the 30-day operative delay is consistent with the
protection of investors and the public interest because doing so will
allow the Pilot Program to continue without interruption in a manner
that is consistent with the Commission's prior approval of the
extension and expansion of the Pilot Program.\14\ Accordingly, the
Commission designates the proposed rule change as operative upon filing
with the Commission.\15\
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\12\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
\13\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
\14\ See Securities Exchange Release No. 61061 (November 24,
2009), 74 FR 62857 (December 1, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-44).
\15\ For purposes only of waiving the operative delay for this
proposal, the Commission has 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. 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-NYSEArca-2018-96 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-NYSEArca-2018-96. 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
20549-1090 on official business days between the hours of
[[Page 66800]]
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-NYSEArca-2018-96 and should
be submitted on or before January 17, 2019.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\16\
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\16\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-27989 Filed 12-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P