Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Adopt a New Market Maker Peg Order Available to Exchange Market Makers

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) and Rule 19b-4 thereunder, notice is hereby given that on June 6, 2012, the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ” or the “Exchange”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.

I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

The Exchange proposes to adopt a new Market Maker Peg Order to provide similar functionality as the automated functionality provided to market makers under Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G).

The text of the proposed rule change is below. Proposed new language is in italics; proposed deletions are in brackets.

4751. Definitions

The following definitions apply to the Rule 4600 and 4750 Series for the trading of securities listed on Nasdaq or a national securities exchange other than Nasdaq.

(a)-(e) No change.

(f) The term “Order Type” shall mean the unique processing prescribed for designated orders that are eligible for entry into the System, and shall include:

(1)-(14) No change.

(15) “Market Maker Peg Order” is a limit order that, upon entry, the bid or offer is automatically priced by the System at the Designated Percentage away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer, or if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, at the Designated Percentage away from the last reported sale from the responsible single plan processor in order to comply with the quotation requirements for Market Makers set forth in Rule 4613(a)(2). Upon reaching the Defined Limit, the price of a Market Maker Peg Order bid or offer will be adjusted by the System to the Designated Percentage away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer, or, if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, to the Designated Percentage away from the last reported sale from the responsible single plan processor. If a Market Maker Peg Order bid or offer moves a specified number of percentage points away from the Designated Percentage towards the then current National Best Bid or National Best Offer, as described in Rule 4613(a)(2)(F) (Quotation Creation and Adjustment), the price of such bid or offer will be adjusted to the Designated Percentage away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer, or if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, to the Designated Percentage away from the last reported sale from the responsible single plan processor. In the absence of a National Best Bid or National Best Offer and if no last reported sale, the order will be cancelled or rejected. Market Maker Peg Orders are not eligible for routing pursuant to Rule 4758 and are always displayed on NASDAQ. Notwithstanding the availability of Market Maker Peg Order functionality, a Market Maker remains responsible for entering, monitoring, and re-submitting, as applicable, quotations that meet the requirements of Rule 4613. A new timestamp is created for the order each time that it is automatically adjusted. For purposes of this paragraph, NASDAQ will apply the Designated Percentage and Defined Limit as set forth in Rule 4613, subject to the following exception. Nothing in this rule shall preclude a Market Maker from designating a more aggressive offset from the National Best Bid or National Best Offer than the given Designated Percentage for any individual Market Maker Peg Order. If a Market Maker designates a more aggressive offset from the National Best Bid or National Best Offer, the price of a Market Maker Peg Order bid or offer will be adjusted by the System to maintain the Market Maker-designated offset from the National Best Bid or National Best Offer, or if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, the order will be cancelled or rejected.

(g)-(i) No change.

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 aspects of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose

NASDAQ is proposing to adopt a new Market Maker Peg Order to provide similar functionality presently available to Exchange market makers under Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G). NASDAQ will continue to offer the present automated quote management functionality provided to market makers under Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G) for a period of 3 months after the implementation of the proposed Market Maker Peg Order. The purpose of this transition period, during which both the present automated quote management functionality under Rules 4163(a)(2)(F) and (G) and the Market Maker Peg Order will operate concurrently, is to afford market makers with the opportunity to adequately test the new Market Maker Peg Order and migrate away from the present automated quote management functionality under Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G). Prior to the end of this 3 month period, NASDAQ will submit a rule filing to retire the automated quote management functionality under Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G).

NASDAQ adopted Rules 4613(a)(2)(F) and (G) as part of an effort to address issues uncovered by the aberrant trading that occurred on May 6, 2010. The automated quote management functionality (“AQ”) offered by these rules is designed to help Exchange market makers meet the enhanced market maker obligations adopted post May 6, 2010, and avoid execution of market maker “stub quotes” in instances of aberrant trading. As part of these enhanced obligations, NASDAQ requires market makers for each stock in which they are registered to continuously maintain a two-sided quotation within a designated percentage of the National Best Bid and National Best Offer, as appropriate. Although AQ has been successful in allowing Exchange market makers to meet their enhanced obligations and in avoiding the deleterious effect on the markets caused by “stub quote” executions, AQ presents difficulties to market makers in meeting their obligations under Rule 15c3-5 under the Act (the “Market Access Rule”) and Regulation SHO.

The Market Access Rule requires a broker-dealer with market access, or that provides a customer or any other person with access to an exchange or alternative trading system through use of its market participant identifier or otherwise, to establish, document, and maintain a system of risk management controls and supervisory procedures reasonably designed to manage the financial, regulatory, and other risks of this business activity. These controls must be reasonably designed to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements, which are defined as “all federal securities laws, rules and regulations, and rules of self-regulatory organizations, that are applicable in connection with market access.”

In addition to the obligations of the Market Access Rule, broker-dealers have independent obligations that arise under Regulation SHO. Regulation SHO obligations generally include properly marking sell orders, obtaining a “locate” for short sale orders, closing out fail to deliver positions, and, where applicable, complying with the short sale price test. While there are certain exceptions to some of the requirements of Regulation SHO where a market maker is engaged in bona-fide market making activities, the availability of those exceptions is distinct and independent from whether a market maker submits an order that is a Market Maker Peg Order.

The current AQ functionality offered to market makers reprices and “refreshes” a market maker's quote when it is executed against, without any action required by the market maker. When a market maker's quote is refreshed by the Exchange, however, the market maker has an obligation to ensure that the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO are met. To meet these obligations, a market maker must actively monitor the status of its quotes and ensure that the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO are being satisfied.

Market Maker Peg Order

In an effort to simplify market maker compliance with the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO, NASDAQ is proposing to adopt a new order type available only to Exchange market makers, which offers AQ-like functionality but also allows a market maker to comply with the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO. Specifically, NASDAQ is proposing to replace AQ functionality with the Market Maker Peg Order. The Market Maker Peg Order would be a one-sided limit order and similar to other peg orders available to market participants in that the order is tied or “pegged” to a certain price, but it would not be eligible for routing pursuant Rule 4758 and would always be displayed and attributable (as defined in Rule 4751). The Market Maker Peg Order would be limited to market makers and would have its price automatically set and adjusted, both upon entry and any time thereafter, in order to comply with the Exchange's rules regarding market maker quotation requirements and obligations. It is expected that market makers will perform the necessary checks to comply with Regulation SHO, as discussed above, prior to entry of a Market Maker Peg Order. Upon entry and at any time the order exceeds either the Defined Limit, as described in Rule 4613(a)(2)(E), or moves a specified number of percentage points away from the Designated Percentage towards the then current National Best Bid or National Best Offer, as described in Rule 4613(a)(2)(F), the Market Maker Peg Order would be priced by the Exchange at the Designated Percentage away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer, or, if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, to the Designated Percentage away from the last reported sale from the responsible single plan processor. In the absence of a National Best Bid or National Best Offer and last reported sale, the order will be cancelled or rejected. Adjustment to the Designated Percentage is designed to avoid an execution against a Market Maker Peg Order that would initiate a single stock circuit breaker. In the event of an execution against a Market Maker Peg Order that reduces the size of the Market Maker Peg Order below one round lot, the market maker would need to enter a new order, after performing the regulatory checks discussed above, to satisfy their obligations under Rule 4613. In the event that pricing the Market Maker Peg Order at the Designated Percentage away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer, or, if no National Best Bid or National Best Offer, to the Designated Percentage away from the last reported sale from the responsible single plan processor would result in the order exceeding its limit price, the order will be cancelled or rejected.

NASDAQ is also proposing to allow a market maker to designate an offset more aggressive (i.e., smaller) than the Designated Percentage for any given Market Maker Peg Order. This functionality will allow a market maker to quote at price levels that are closer to the National Best Bid and National Best Offer if it elects to do so. To use this functionality, a market maker must designate the desired offset upon order entry. Thereafter and unlike the default Market Maker Peg Order, a Market Maker Peg Order with a market maker-designated offset will have its price automatically adjusted on a tick-by-tick basis by the System to maintain the market maker-designated offset from the National Best Bid or National Best Offer until the order is executed or cancelled. In the absence of a National Best Bid or National Best Offer, Market Maker Peg Orders with a market maker-designated offset will be cancelled or rejected. In the event that pricing the Market Maker Peg Order at the market maker-designated offset away from the then current National Best Bid and National Best Offer would result in the order exceeding its limit price, the order will be cancelled or rejected.

The Market Maker Peg Order will be accepted and executable during System hours. During pre- and post-market hours, the wider Designated Percentage and Defined Limit associated with the 9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. and 3:35 p.m.-4:00 p.m. periods under Rule 4613(a)(2)(D) and (E) will be applied.

NASDAQ believes that this order-based approach is superior in terms of the ease in complying with the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO while also providing similar quote adjusting functionality to its market makers. Market makers would have control of order origination, as required by the Market Access Rule, while also allowing market makers to make marking and locate determinations prior to order entry, as required by Regulation SHO. As such, market makers are fully able to comply with the requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO, as they would when placing any order, while also meeting their Exchange market making obligations. In this regard, the Market Maker Peg Order, like the current AQ system, does not ensure that the market maker is satisfying the requirements of Regulation SHO, including the satisfaction of the locate requirement of Rule 203(b)(1) or an exception thereto.

2. Statutory Basis

The statutory basis for the proposed rule change is Section 6(b)(5) of the Act, which requires the rules of an exchange to promote just and equitable principles of trade, 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. The proposed rule change also is designed to support the principles of Section 11A(a)(1) of the Act in that it seeks to assure fair competition among brokers and dealers and among exchange markets. The Exchange believes that the proposed rule meets these requirements in that it promotes transparency and uniformity across markets concerning minimum market maker quotation requirements and member obligations to comply with the regulatory requirements of the Market Access Rule and Regulation SHO. The Exchange also believes that providing Exchange market makers with a transition period, during which they may adequately test the new functionality, will serve to minimize the potential market impact caused by the implementation of the order type.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will result in any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act, as amended.

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 Change and Timing for Commission Action

Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission shall:

A. By order approve or disapprove such proposed rule change; or

B. Institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be 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 rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-NASDAQ-2012-066 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-NASDAQ-2012-066. 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 10:00 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; 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-NASDAQ-2012-066 and should be submitted on or before July 11, 2012.