[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 80 (Monday, April 28, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17655-17656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07222]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-102912; File No. SR-NYSENAT-2025-05]


Self-Regulatory Organization; NYSE National, Inc.; Order 
Approving a Proposed Rule Change To Amend NYSE National Rules 7.37 and 
7.44

April 22, 2025.

I. Introduction

    On March 12, 2025, NYSE National, Inc. (``NYSE National'' or 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission''), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ a 
proposed rule change to amend NYSE National rules 7.37 and 7.44. The 
proposed rule change was published for comment in the Federal Register 
on March 20, 2025.\3\ The Commission has received no comment letters on 
the proposed rule change. This order approves the proposed rule change.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 102683 (March 14, 
2025), 90 FR 13231.
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II. Description of the Proposal

    The Exchange has proposed to amend NYSE National rules 7.37 (Order 
Execution and Routing) and 7.44 (Retail Liquidity Program) to adopt the 
Retail Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy, an optional routing 
strategy available for Type 1 Retail Orders.
    First, the Exchange proposed to amend NYSE National rule 
7.44(f)(1), which defines a Type 1 Retail Order. The Exchange operates 
a Retail Liquidity Program that is intended to attract retail order 
flow to the Exchange and allow such order flow to receive potential 
price improvement at the midpoint or better.\4\ A Retail Order, as 
defined in NYSE National rule 7.44(a)(2), is an agency order or 
riskless principal order that meets the criteria of FINRA rule 5320.03, 
originating from a natural person, and that is submitted to the 
Exchange by a Retail Member Organization (``RMO''), provided that no 
change is made to the terms of the order with respect to price or side 
of market and the order does not originate from a trading algorithm or 
any other computerized methodology.\5\ NYSE National rule 7.44(f)(1) 
defines a Type 1 Retail Order to buy (sell) as an MPL IOC Order with a 
working price at the lower (higher) of the midpoint of the PBBO or its 
limit price that trades only with available Retail Price Improvement 
Orders \6\ to sell (buy) and all other orders to sell (buy) with a 
working price below (above) or equal to the midpoint of the PBBO on the 
Exchange Book. A Type 1 Retail Order does not route (except as 
specified in NYSE National rule 7.44(f)(1)), and the quantity of a Type 
1 Retail Order to buy (sell) that does not trade with eligible orders 
to sell (buy) will be immediately and automatically cancelled. A Type 1 
Retail Order is cancelled on arrival if there is

[[Page 17656]]

no PBBO or the PBBO is locked or crossed.
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    \4\ See NYSE National rule 7.44 (Retail Liquidity Program).
    \5\ To qualify as an RMO, an ETP Holder must conduct a retail 
business or route retail orders on behalf of another broker-dealer. 
See NYSE National rule 7.44(b)(1). To become an RMO, an ETP Holder 
must submit an application form, supporting documentation to confirm 
that the RMO applicant's order flow would meet the requirements of 
the Retail Order definition, and an attestation that substantially 
all orders submitted as Retail Orders will qualify as such. See NYSE 
National rule 7.44(b)(2).
    \6\ A Retail Price Improvement Order is an MPL Order that is 
eligible to trade only with incoming Retail Orders submitted by an 
RMO. See NYSE National rule 7.44(a)(3).
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    The last sentence of NYSE National rule 7.44(f)(1) provides that a 
Type 1 Retail Order may be designated with the Retail Midpoint Ping 
routing strategy, and that a Type 1 Retail Order designated with such 
routing strategy will be accepted and routed pursuant to such strategy 
even if there is no PBBO or the PBBO is locked or crossed. The Exchange 
has proposed to amend this sentence to provide that a Type 1 Retail 
Order may also be designated with a Retail Price Improvement Seeking 
routing strategy.
    Second, the Exchange proposed to amend NYSE National rule 
7.37(b)(9) to add new subparagraph (C) providing for the Retail Price 
Improvement Seeking routing strategy. NYSE National rule 7.37(b)(9)(C) 
will provide that the Retail Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy 
would be available for Type 1 Retail Orders. A Type 1 Retail Order 
designated with the Retail Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy 
would first check the Exchange Book for available shares. Any remaining 
quantity of the order will then route as a Retail Order \7\ to the New 
York Stock Exchange, LLC (``NYSE''). Any shares that remain unexecuted 
after routing to NYSE will be cancelled. The Retail Price Improvement 
Seeking routing strategy is intended to offer any remaining quantity of 
Type 1 Retail Orders, after executing against interest on the Exchange 
Book, the opportunity to access liquidity on the NYSE, which also 
operates a retail liquidity program.\8\ Type 1 Retail Orders routed to 
the NYSE with the Retail Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy 
will be able to interact with Retail Price Improvement Orders \9\ and 
other interest on the NYSE book as a Retail Order in the NYSE retail 
liquidity program.\10\ Type 1 Retail Orders designated with the Retail 
Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy will be routed to the NYSE 
by the Exchange's routing broker, Archipelago Securities LLC 
(``ArcaSec''), on behalf of the NYSE National RMOs that originally 
submitted such orders, and, according to the Exchange, ArcaSec will be 
qualified as an NYSE RMO under NYSE rule 7.44(b) for purposes of 
routing such orders.\11\
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    \7\ The requirements and obligations for NYSE National RMOs are 
the same as those for NYSE RMOs, as are the definitions of Retail 
Order on NYSE National and NYSE. See NYSE rules 7.44(a)(2) (defining 
RMO); 7.44(a)(3) (defining Retail Order); 7.44(b) and 7.44(h) 
(describing RMO qualifications).
    \8\ See NYSE rule 7.44.
    \9\ See NYSE rule 7.44(a)(4).
    \10\ As proposed, Type 1 Retail Orders (which are MPL IOC 
Orders) routed pursuant to the Retail Price Improvement Seeking 
routing strategy will be converted to Limit IOC Orders to comport 
with the definition of Retail Order in the NYSE Retail Liquidity 
Program. See NYSE rule 7.44(k) (``A Retail Order to buy (sell) is a 
Limit IOC Order that will trade only with available Retail Price 
Improvement Orders to sell (buy) and all other orders to sell (buy) 
with a working price below (above) the PBO (PBB) on the Exchange 
Book. . . .'').
    \11\ According to the Exchange, ArcaSec will rely on 
representations made by NYSE National RMOs with respect to their 
Retail Orders.
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III. Discussion and Commission Findings

    After careful review, the Commission finds that the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the requirements of the Act and the rules and 
regulations thereunder applicable to a national securities 
exchange.\12\ In particular, the Commission finds that the proposed 
rule change is consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\13\ which 
requires, among other things, that the rules of a national securities 
exchange be 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 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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    \12\ In approving this proposed rule change, the Commission has 
considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, 
and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
    \13\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    The Commission finds that the proposed rule change is reasonably 
designed to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free 
and open market and a national market system because the proposed 
Retail Price Improvement Seeking routing strategy for Type 1 Retail 
Orders offers investors who submit NYSE National Type 1 Retail Orders 
the opportunity for additional price improvement on the NYSE. The 
Commission believes that the proposed rule change furthers the Retail 
Liquidity Program's goal of promoting competition for retail order flow 
among execution venues and provides benefits to retail investors by 
creating additional price improvement opportunities for their order 
flow.
    Based on the foregoing, the Commission finds that the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the requirements of the Act.

IV. Conclusion

    It is therefore ordered that pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the 
Act,\14\ the proposed rule change (SR-NYSENAT-2025-05) be, and it 
hereby is, approved.
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    \14\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).

    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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Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-07222 Filed 4-25-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P