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 June 29, 2009, BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS” or the “Exchange”) 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).
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange is proposing to amend BATS Rule 11.9, entitled “Orders and Modifiers,” and BATS Rule 11.12, entitled “Priority of Orders,” to permit Users to use a “Replace Message” to modify certain types of information originally submitted with an order without modifying the priority of such order.
The text of the proposed rule change is available at the Exchange's Web site at http://www.batstrading.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 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
The purpose of the proposed rule change is to permit Users of the Exchange to change additional terms of an order through the use of a Replace Message. Currently, Rule 11.9(e)(3) states that the only terms of an order that may be changed through use of a Replace Message are the price and quantity terms of an order, including changing a limit order to a market order. Also, current Rule 11.12(a)(3) states that a decrease to the size of an order is the only change that a User can make that will not result in a loss of priority for an order compared to other orders in the BATS Book. The Exchange believes that Users should also be permitted to modify an order through a Replace Message in order to reflect a change from a long sale to a short sale and vice-versa. Under the proposed rule, Users will be permitted to use a Replace Message to modify the sale indicator associated with an order without canceling and resubmitting the order, and, with the proposed change to Rule 11.12(a)(3), without losing priority on the BATS Book. The Exchange does not currently associate the priority of an order with whether an order to sell is a long sale or a short sale, and therefore, does not believe that an update to an order to change the status from long to short or short to long should affect priority. The Exchange notes that it is not at this time proposing a rule change to require Users to update the position indicator associated with a sale order they have submitted, but rather, is amending its rule to make such updates permissible through use of a Replace Message.
The proposed rule does not affect Users' obligations contained in Regulation SHO under the Act, and Users must continue to comply with such obligations, including the order marking and locate requirements.
In addition to the proposed change discussed above, in the interest of developing rule text that is easier to understand, the Exchange has proposed modifying the language that permits use of a Replace Message to change a limit order to a market order.
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 would promote just and equitable principles of trade, remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of, a free and open market and a national market system, and, in general, protect investors and the public interest, by modifying its system specifications to permit Users to update the position indicated for a sale (long or short), to the extent such position changes while their order is resting on the Exchange's order book.
15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of 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
The Exchange has neither solicited nor received written comments on the proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
Because the foregoing rule change does not: (1) Significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest; (2) impose any significant burden on competition; and (3) become operative for 30 days after the date of this filing, 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) thereunder.
17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) normally may not become operative prior to 30 days after the date of filing. However, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) 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 requested that the Commission waive the 30-day operative delay. BATS believes that the proposal will benefit the protection of investors and the public interest by permitting Users to elect to update the sale indicator associated with an order that has already been submitted to the Exchange. BATS expects to have technological changes in place to support the proposed rule change on July 2, 2009, and believes that benefits to Exchange Members expected from the proposed rule change should not be delayed. Based on the foregoing, the Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest and hereby designates the proposal operative upon filing.
17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) requires that a self-regulatory organization submit to the Commission written notice of its 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.
Id.
See SR-BATS-2009-020, Item 7.
For the purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, the Commission has considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule change, the Commission may summarily abrogate 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 e-mail to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File No. SR-BATS-2009-020 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 No. SR-BATS-2009-020. This file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail 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 inspection and copying 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 such filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of BATS. 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 No. SR-BATS-2009-020 and should be submitted on or before July 30, 2009.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.
Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-16174 Filed 7-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P