Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”), and Rule 19b-4 thereunder, notice is hereby given that on August 3, 2012, BATS Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange” or “BATS”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Exchange has designated this proposal as a “non-controversial” proposed rule change pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder, which renders it effective upon filing with the Commission. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
17 CFR 240.19b-4.
17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend Rule 11.9, entitled “Orders and Modifiers”, and Rule 21.1, entitled “Definitions”, to modify the operation of the Exchange's price sliding functionality described in Rules 11.9 and 21.1 applicable to the BATS equity securities trading platform (“BATS Equities”) and the BATS equity options trading platform (“BATS Options”), respectively. The Exchange also proposes other minor changes, including changes to the terms used to describe price sliding and cross-references contained in Rules 11.13, 21.1, 21.6 and 21.9.
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 parts of such statements.
(A) Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
Background
The Exchange currently offers various forms of sliding which, in all cases, result in the re-pricing of an order to, or ranking and/or display of an order at, a price other than an order's limit price in order to comply with applicable securities laws and/or Exchange rules. Specifically, the Exchange currently offers price sliding to ensure compliance with Regulation NMS and Regulation SHO for BATS Equities, as well as price sliding for BATS Options to ensure compliance rules analogous to Regulation NMS adopted by the Exchange and other options exchanges. Price sliding currently offered by the Exchange re-prices and displays an order upon entry and in certain cases again re-prices and re-displays an order at a more aggressive price one time if and when permissible, but does not continually re-price an order based on changes in the national best bid (“NBB”) or national best offer (“NBO”, and together with the NBB, the “NBBO”). The Exchange proposes to modify all forms of price sliding in order to create an optional order handling behavior functionality that will continue to re-price, re-rank and/or re-display an order based on changes to the NBBO (“multiple price sliding”), as further described below. Multiple price sliding in all contexts for which it is being proposed will have to be elected by a User in order to be applied by the Exchange. If a User elects to apply multiple price sliding to an order submitted to BATS Equities, multiple price sliding will apply with respect to both display-price sliding and short sale price sliding in connection with the handling of the order by the Exchange. The Exchange also proposes to add language to make clear that display-price sliding is based on Protected Quotations at equities markets and options exchanges other than the Exchange. If the Exchange has a Protected Quotation that an incoming order to the Exchange locks or crosses then such order either executes against the resting order, or, if the incoming order is a BATS Post Only Order or Partial Post Only at Limit Order, such order is executed in accordance with Rules 11.9(c)(6) and (c)(7), respectively, or cancelled back to the entering User, as described in further detail below.
As defined in BATS Rule 1.5(cc), a User is “any Member or Sponsored Participant who is authorized to obtain access to the System pursuant to Rule 11.3.”
As defined in BATS Rule 1.5(t), applicable to BATS Equities, a “Protected Quotation” is “a quotation that is a Protected Bid or Protected Offer.” In turn, the term “Protected Bid” or “Protected Offer” means “a bid or offer in a stock that is (i) displayed by an automated trading center; (ii) disseminated pursuant to an effective national market system plan; and (iii) an automated quotation that is the best bid or best offer of a national securities exchange or association.” As defined in BATS Rule 27.1, applicable to BATS Options, a “Protected Quotation” is “a Protected Bid or Protected Offer.” In turn, the term “Protected Bid” or “Protected Offer” means “a Bid or Offer in an options series, respectively, that: (A) Is disseminated pursuant to the OPRA Plan; and (B) is the Best Bid or Best Offer, respectively, displayed by an Eligible Exchange.” An “Eligible Exchange” is defined in Rule 27.1 and means “a national securities exchange registered with the SEC in accordance with Section 6(a) of the Exchange Act that: (a) Is a Participant Exchange in OCC (as that term is defined in Section VII of the OCC by-laws); (b) is a party to the OPRA Plan (as that term is described in Section I of the OPRA Plan); and (c) if the national securities exchange chooses not to become a party to this Plan, is a participant in another plan approved by the Commission providing for comparable Trade-Through and Locked and Crossed Market protection.”
BATS Equities—Display-Price Sliding
With respect to price sliding offered to ensure compliance with Regulation NMS (“display-price sliding”), under the Exchange's current rules for BATS Equities, if, at the time of entry, a non-routable order would cross a Protected Quotation displayed by another trading center the Exchange re-prices and ranks such order at the locking price, and displays such order at one minimum price variation below the NBO for bids and above the NBB for offers. Similarly, in the event a non-routable order that, at the time of entry, would lock a Protected Quotation displayed by another trading center, the Exchange displays such order at one minimum price variation below the NBO for bids and above the NBB for offers.
The Exchange's Rules for BATS Equities currently describe this functionality as “NMS price sliding” but the Exchange proposes to rename such functionality “display-price sliding.”
As an example of display-price sliding, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.13 per share. Assume the NBBO is $10.10 by $10.12. If the Exchange receives a non-routable bid to buy 100 shares at $10.12 per share the Exchange will rank the order to buy at $10.12 and display the order at $10.11 because displaying the bid at $10.12 would lock an external market's Protected Offer to sell for $10.12. If the NBO then moved to $10.13, the Exchange would un-slide the bid to buy and display it at its ranked price (and limit price) of $10.12.
The Exchange proposes to modify the description of price sliding to make clear that price sliding is generally applied to orders that are eligible for display, as such orders would violate Rule 610(d) of Regulation NMS if they were displayed by the Exchange at a price that locked or crossed a Protected Quotation. As described in further detail below, certain price sliding is also applied to Non-Displayed Orders, and the Exchange has proposed certain changes intended to clarify the application of such price sliding.
The Exchange currently permits Users to instruct the Exchange not to apply price sliding functionality to their orders. As one variation of this instruction, the Exchange currently allows Users to elect to apply display-price sliding only to the extent a display-eligible order at the time of entry would create a violation of Rule 610(d) of Regulation NMS by locking a Protected Quotation of an external market (“lock-only display-price sliding”). For Users that select this order handling, price sliding is not applied and any display-eligible order is instead cancelled if, upon entry, such order would create a violation of Rule 610(d) of Regulation NMS by crossing a Protected Quotation of an external market. The lock-only display-price sliding option is a variation of display-price sliding that is intended to allow Users to re-evaluate their orders and/or strategies in the event they are submitting orders to the Exchange that are crossing the market. Consistent with the goal of increasing the clarity of its price sliding rule, the Exchange proposes to modify its description of display-price sliding to clearly define the lock-only display-price sliding option.
As an example of lock-only display-price sliding, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.14 per share. Assume the NBBO is $10.10 by $10.12. If the Exchange receives a non-routable bid to buy 100 shares at $10.13 per share and the User has elected lock-only display-price sliding, the Exchange will cancel the order back to the User. To reiterate a basic example of display-price sliding, if instead the User applied display-price sliding (and not lock-only display-price sliding), the Exchange would rank the order to buy at $10.12 and display the order at $10.11 because displaying the bid at $10.13 would cross an external market's Protected Offer to sell for $10.12. If the NBO then moved to $10.13, the Exchange would un-slide the bid to buy and display it at $10.12.
The Exchange proposes to modify the description of display-price sliding so that any order subject to display-price sliding will retain its original limit price irrespective of the prices at which such order is ranked and displayed. Accordingly, the Exchange also proposes to clarify language throughout its descriptions of display-price sliding to refer to the ranking and display of an order rather than using the term re-price. In order to ensure compliance with Regulation NMS, as it does today, the Exchange will rank orders subject to display-price sliding at the locking price and will display such orders at one minimum price variation below the current NBO (for bids) or to one minimum price variation above the current NBB (for offers).
The Exchange also proposes to amend its existing description of display-price sliding to state that when an order is displayed by the Exchange through the display-price sliding process the Exchange will display such order at the most aggressive permissible price. The Exchange's current description of display-price sliding states that orders that are re-displayed by the Exchange receive new timestamps when this new display price is established. The Exchange proposes to retain this language but also to make clear that all orders that are re-ranked and re-displayed pursuant to display-price sliding will retain their priority as compared to other orders subject to display-price sliding based upon the time such orders were initially received by the Exchange. Finally, the proposed description of price sliding also states that following the initial ranking and display of an order subject to display-price sliding, an order will only be re-ranked and re-displayed to the extent it achieves a more aggressive price.
In order to offer multiple price sliding to Exchange Users, the Exchange proposes to make clear that the ranked and displayed prices of an order subject to display-price sliding may be adjusted once or multiple times depending upon the instructions of a User and changes to the prevailing NBBO. As noted above, multiple price sliding is optional and must be explicitly selected by a User before it will be applied. The Exchange proposes to make clear that the default display-price sliding process will only adjust the ranked and displayed prices of an order upon entry and then the displayed price one time following a change to the prevailing NBBO. As explained throughout this filing, orders subject to multiple price sliding will be permitted to move all the way back to their most aggressive price, whereas orders subject to the current handling may not be adjusted to their most aggressive price, depending upon market conditions.
As an example of multiple price sliding, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.14 per share. Assume the NBBO is $10.10 by $10.12. If the Exchange receives a non-routable bid to buy 100 shares at $10.13 per share, the Exchange would rank the order to buy at $10.12 and display the order at $10.11 because displaying the bid at $10.13 would cross an external market's Protected Offer to sell for $10.12. If the NBO then moved to $10.13, the Exchange would un-slide the bid to buy, rank it at $10.13 and display it at $10.12. Under current price sliding functionality, the Exchange would not further adjust the ranked or displayed price following this un-slide. However, under multiple price sliding, if the NBO then moved to $10.14, the Exchange would un-slide the bid to buy and display it at its full limit price of $10.13.
The Exchange offers display-price sliding functionality to avoid locking or crossing other markets' Protected Quotations, but does not price slide to avoid executions on the Exchange's order book (“BATS Book”). Specifically, when the Exchange receives an incoming order that could execute against resting displayed liquidity but an execution does not occur because such incoming order is designated as an order that will not remove liquidity (i.e., a BATS Post Only Order), then the Exchange will cancel the incoming order. The Exchange proposes to make clear in the description of display-price sliding that any display-eligible BATS Post Only Order that locks or crosses a Protected Quotation displayed by the Exchange upon entry will not be price slid upon entry but will be executed as set forth in Rule 11.9(c)(6) or cancelled. Similarly, the Exchange proposes to make clear that any display-eligible Partial Post Only at Limit Order that locks or crosses a Protected Quotation displayed by the Exchange upon entry will be executed as set forth in Rule 11.9(c)(7) or cancelled. The Exchange also proposes to make clear that any display-eligible BATS Post Only Order or Partial Post Only at Limit Order that locks or crosses a Protected Quotation displayed by an external market upon entry will be subject to the display-price sliding process. Consistent with the principal of not price sliding to avoid executions, in the event the NBBO changes such that a BATS Post Only Order subject to display-price sliding would un-slide and would be ranked at a price at which it could remove displayed liquidity from the BATS Book (i.e., when the Exchange is at the NBB or NBO) the Exchange proposes to execute or cancel such order.
The Exchange notes that it inadvertently constructed an example in a previous rule filing that contradicts this statement. Specifically, in Example 5 of SR-BATS-2011-015, in order to establish the possibility of an order that has been price slid and has a working price ranked at the same price as an order displayed by the Exchange on the opposite side of the market, the Exchange explained that an incoming BATS Post Only bid at $10.11 would price slide if it locked an offer displayed by the Exchange at $10.11. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 64475 (May 12, 2011), 76 FR 28830, 28832 (May 18, 2011) (SR-BATS-2011-015) (the “Order Handling Filing”). However, at the time of the Order Handling Filing, under the current behavior, and as proposed, the Exchange would not price slide a BATS Post Only order to avoid an execution against an order displayed by the Exchange. The Exchange notes that Example 5 from the Order Handling Filing would be accurate if instead the incoming bid at $10.11 locked a protected offer displayed by an external market and not also displayed by the Exchange, was price slid and displayed at $10.10, ranked at $10.11, and BATS subsequently received a BATS Post Only offer at $10.11. In other words, the outcome would be the same as set forth in Example 5, insofar as the price slid order could ultimately have a ranked price that locks the contra-side, however the sequence leading up to that outcome neither is nor was possible as described because the Exchange does not price slide to avoid executions against the BATS Book.
The Exchange notes that it recently proposed and implemented a change to Rule 11.9(c)(6) regarding the Exchange's handling of BATS Post Only Orders to permit such orders to remove liquidity from the BATS Book if the value of price improvement associated with such execution equals or exceeds the sum of fees charged for such execution and the value of any rebate that would be provided if the order posted to the BATS Book and subsequently provided liquidity. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 67093 (June 1, 2012), 77 FR 33798 (June 7, 2012) (SR-BATS-2012-018).
As noted above, the Exchange will execute a BATS Post Only Order in certain circumstances where it would receive price improvement. See id.
The Exchange previously proposed changes to its existing order handling procedures to permit BATS Post Only Orders to be posted to the BATS Book to join the NBB or NBO, as applicable, even when such orders would be posted at prices equal to opposite-side orders ranked at the same price. Consistent with this previously adopted change, the Exchange proposes to add language stating that BATS Post Only Orders will be permitted to post and be displayed opposite the ranked price of orders subject to display-price sliding. As is the case today, in the event an order subject to display-price sliding is ranked on the BATS Book with a price equal to an opposite side order displayed by the Exchange, it will be subject to processing as set forth in Rule 11.13(a)(1).
See Order Handling Filing, supra note 7.
As an example of the Exchange's handling of BATS Post Only Orders in the context of price sliding, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.12 per share. Assume the NBBO (including Protected Quotations of other external markets) is also $10.10 by $10.12. If the Exchange receives a BATS Post Only Order bid to buy 100 shares at $10.12 per share, unless executed pursuant to Rule 11.9(c)(6), the Exchange would cancel the order back to the User because absent the BATS Post Only designation the $10.12 bid would be able to remove the $10.12 offer, and, as explained above, the Exchange does not offer price sliding to avoid executions against orders displayed by the Exchange.
See supra note 8.
If the Exchange did not have a displayed offer to sell at $10.12 in the example above, but instead the best offer on the Exchange's book was $10.13, the Exchange would apply price sliding to the incoming bid by ranking such order at $10.12 and displaying the order at $10.11. The Exchange's order book would now be displayed as $10.11 by $10.13. Assume, however, that after price sliding the incoming bid from $10.12 to a display price of $10.11, the Exchange received a BATS Post Only offer to sell for $10.12, thus joining the NBO. As noted above, pursuant to previously adopted changes, BATS Post Only Orders are permitted to post and be displayed opposite the ranked price of orders subject to display-price sliding. Accordingly, the Exchange would allow such the incoming BATS Post Only offer at $10.12 to post and display on the Exchange's order book, as described above, with an opposite side price slid order ranked at $10.12 but displayed at $10.11. Assume that next the Protected Offers displayed by all external markets other than the Exchange moved to $10.13. In this situation the Exchange would un-slide but then cancel the bid at $10.12 because, as proposed, in the event the NBBO changes such that a BATS Post Only Order subject to display-price sliding would un-slide and would be ranked at a price at which it could remove displayed liquidity from the BATS Book (i.e., when the Exchange is at the NBB or NBO) the Exchange proposes to execute or cancel such order.
As noted above, the Exchange will execute a BATS Post Only Order in certain circumstances where it would receive price improvement. See supra note 8.
The Exchange currently applies display-price sliding to Non-Displayed Orders that cross Protected Quotations of external markets as well. The Exchange proposes language that makes clear that this functionality is offered both upon entry and once an order has been posted to the Exchange's order book in order to avoid potentially trading through Protected Quotations of external markets. The proposed rule states that Non-Displayed Orders that are subject to display-price sliding are ranked at the locking price on entry. The proposed description also makes clear that display-price sliding for Non-Displayed Orders is functionally equivalent to the handling of displayable orders except that such orders will not have a displayed price and will not be re-priced again unless such orders cross a Protected Quotation of an external market (i.e., such orders are not unslid).
As an example of the Exchange's handling of Non-Displayed Orders in the context of price sliding, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.13 per share. Assume the NBBO is $10.10 by $10.11. If the Exchange receives a Non-Displayed Order bid to buy 100 shares at $10.12 per share, the Exchange would re-price the order to a $10.11 bid to buy to avoid potentially trading through the $10.11 offer displayed as the NBO (i.e., to ensure the Exchange will not allow the bid to trade at $10.12 per share). In the event the NBBO moved to $10.09 by $10.10, the Exchange would again re-price the Non-Displayed bid to buy 100 shares to $10.10 per share. If the NBBO then moved to $10.10 by $10.11, the Non-Displayed bid would not be re-priced to $10.11, but would remain on the Exchange's order book at $10.10.
As described above, the Exchange has proposed to offer multiple price sliding to Exchange Users that opt-in to the functionality. The remaining changes described above are intended to clarify and expand upon the written description of display-price sliding, but do not represent changes to the existing functionality offered by the Exchange. Consistent with achieving better clarity, the Exchange has proposed structural changes to the description of display-price sliding by separating the description into several sub-paragraphs.
BATS Equities—Short Sale Price Sliding
With respect to price sliding offered to ensure compliance with Regulation SHO on BATS Equities (“short sale price sliding”), when an order cannot be executed or displayed in compliance with Rule 201 of Regulation SHO, the Exchange currently re-prices short sale orders to one minimum price variation above the current NBB (“Permitted Price”). In order to describe this re-pricing, the Exchange proposes to add the term “Permitted Price” to its description of short sale price sliding. In order to offer multiple price sliding in the short sale price sliding context, the Exchange proposes to amend its rules to state that depending upon the instructions of a User, to reflect declines in the NBB the System will continue to re-price a short sale order at the Permitted Price down to the order's original limit price. Accordingly, short sale orders subject to multiple price sliding that are adjusted to lower price levels due to a decline to the NBB will be priced at one minimum price variation above the current NBB. As is true for display-price sliding, multiple price sliding is optional and must be explicitly selected by a User before it will be applied. The Exchange's default short sale sliding process will only re-price an order upon entry. Accordingly, there will be no change to existing Users of short sale price sliding due to the proposed introduction of multiple price sliding unless such Users opt-in to the functionality.
As an example of the Exchange's current short sale price sliding, which adjusts the price of an order only upon entry, assume the Exchange has a posted and displayed bid to buy 100 shares of a security priced at $10.10 per share and a posted and displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.13 per share. Assume the NBBO is $10.10 by $10.12. If the Exchange receives a non-routable offer to sell 100 shares at $10.10 per share and the order is marked “short” the Exchange will rank and display the order to sell at $10.11 because executing the short sale at $10.10, the NBB, would be in contravention of Regulation SHO. The result would be the same if the Exchange had no bids at $10.10 because the Exchange cannot display an order marked “short” at the current NBB (such display would also lock the protected quote of an external market). If the NBB then moved to $10.09, under existing handling, the Exchange would not re-price or re-display the order, but instead would leave it as a displayed offer to sell 100 shares at $10.11. Under multiple price sliding, however, the Exchange would re-price and display the offer at $10.10 if the NBB moved to $10.09. If, in the example above, the NBB instead moved upwards to $10.11, the Exchange would not re-price or restrict execution of the resting $10.11 offer under either type of short sale price sliding. The Exchange notes that if this were the case, its quotation would be locked.
For purposes of these examples, Rule 201's short sale price test is assumed to be in effect for the security at the time.
In addition to changes to the description of short sale price sliding to add the option of multiple price sliding, the Exchange proposes various changes to improve the accuracy and the clarity of the description of short sale price sliding. For instance, the Exchange proposes to make clear that when a short sale price test restriction under Rule 201 of Regulation SHO is in effect, the System may execute a displayed short sale order at a price below the Permitted Price if, at the time of initial display of the short sale order, the order was at a price above the then current NBB. The Exchange also proposes to make clear that orders marked “short exempt” will not be subject to short sale price sliding.
BATS Options—Display-Price Sliding
In order to maintain consistency between analogous processes offered by BATS Equities and BATS Options, the Exchange proposes to modify the rules of BATS Options to conform with the changes described above related to display-price sliding. Accordingly, the Exchange proposes deleting the current description of price sliding from Rule 21.1(d)(6), and adopting new Rule 21.1(h), which is based on Rule 11.9, as amended. Proposed Rule 21.1(h) relates to display-price sliding offered to ensure compliance with locked and crossed market rules relevant to participation on BATS Options. As proposed, in order to adopt multiple price sliding for BATS Options display-price sliding, Rule 21.1(h) will provide that the ranked and displayed prices of an order subject to display-price sliding may be adjusted once or multiple times depending upon the instructions of a User and changes to the prevailing NBBO. As is true for BATS Equities, display-price sliding for BATS Options will default to the current functionality pursuant to which the ranked and displayed prices of an order will be adjusted upon entry and then the displayed price will be adjusted one time following a change to the prevailing NBBO. Users will need to opt-in to multiple price sliding functionality.
The Exchange's Rules for BATS Options currently describe this functionality as “displayed price sliding” but the Exchange proposes to rename such functionality “display-price sliding.”
As drafted, Rule 21.1(h) is identical to the description of display-price sliding set forth in proposed Rule 11.9 and described above with the exception of minor references necessary due to the difference between rules applicable to BATS Equities and BATS Options, the omission of certain rule text specific to non-displayed orders, which are applicable to BATS Equities only, and the omission of reference to the specific order handling process for BATS Equities described in Rule 11.13(a)(1).
In addition to the adoption of Rule 21.1(h), the Exchange proposes to delete a portion of the display-price sliding process that is described in Rule 21.1(d)(8), which states that an order that would cross a Protected Quotation will be re-priced to the locking price and ranked in the BATS Options Book. The Exchange proposes to eliminate this language because it is duplicative with the proposed language in Rule 21.1(h). The Exchange also proposes to modify applicable cross-references in Rules 21.1(d), 21.6 and 21.9.
2. Statutory Basis
The rule change proposed in this submission is consistent with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder that are applicable to a national securities exchange, and, in particular, with the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act. Specifically, the proposed change is consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Act, because 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.
15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
The Exchange believes that the proposed changes to price sliding are consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Act, as well as Rule 610 of Regulation NMS and Rule 201 of Regulation SHO. The Exchange is not modifying the overall functionality of price sliding, which, to avoid locking or crossing quotations of other market centers or to comply with applicable short sale restrictions, displays orders at permissible prices while retaining a price at which the User is willing to buy or sell, in the event display at such price or an execution at such price becomes possible. Instead, the Exchange is making changes to adopt an optional form of price sliding, multiple price sliding, and to clarify portions of its Rules that describe price sliding.
Id.
17 CFR 242.610.
17 CFR 242.201.
Rule 610(d) requires exchanges to establish, maintain, and enforce rules that require members reasonably to avoid “[d]isplaying quotations that lock or cross any protected quotation in an NMS stock.” Such rules must be “reasonably designed to assure the reconciliation of locked or crossed quotations in an NMS stock,” and must “prohibit * * * members from engaging in a pattern or practice of displaying quotations that lock or cross any quotation in an NMS stock.” Thus, display-price sliding offered by the Exchange, including the functionality offered for BATS Options, assists Users by displaying orders at permissible prices. Similarly, Rule 201 of Regulation SHO requires trading centers to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the execution or display of a short sale order at a price at or below the current NBB under certain circumstances. The Exchange's short sale price sliding will continue to operate consistent with this rule, however, if a User opts-in to multiple price sliding, the Exchange will re-price a short sale order based on declines to the NBB. If, instead, a User maintains the default form of price sliding, the Exchange will only re-price and display an order subject to short sale price sliding upon entry but will not update the order to reflect declines to the NBB. The Exchange notes that the proposed descriptions of price sliding will also more closely mirror the description used by at least one of its competitors, the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), and thus will help to avoid confusion amongst Exchange Users that also utilize analogous functionality at Nasdaq.
Id.
17 CFR 242.201.
(B) Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change imposes any burden on competition.
(C) Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others
Written comments were neither solicited nor received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Changes and Timing for Commission Action
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) of the Act and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.
17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). As required under Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii), the Exchange provided the Commission with written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change along with a brief description and the 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.
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.
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 rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-BATS-2012-035 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
- Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-BATS-2012-035 . 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 a.m. and 3 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-BATS-2012-035 and should be submitted on or before September 10, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.27
Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-20320 Filed 8-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P