[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