Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Fees and Rebates for Adding and Removing Liquidity in Select Symbols, 13377-13379 [2012-5328]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2012 / Notices
terminal radiation surveys and
associated documentation demonstrate
that the facilities and site may be
released in accordance with the criteria
in the NRC-approved decommissioning
plan. Further, on the basis of the
decommissioning activities carried out
by the U of AZ, the NRC’s review of the
licensee=s final status survey report, the
results of NRC inspections conducted at
the NRL, and the results of confirmatory
surveys, the NRC has concluded that the
decommissioning process is complete
and the facilities and sites may be
released for unrestricted use. Therefore,
Facility Operating License No. R–52 is
terminated.
For further details with respect to the
proposed action, see the licensee’s letter
dated December 1, 2011. The above
referenced documents may be
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the
NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) at
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
Publicly available records will be
accessible electronically in the NRC
Library in the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS) on the Internet at the NRC
Web site, https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. Persons who do not
have access to ADAMS or who have
problems in accessing the documents in
ADAMS should call the NRC PDR
reference staff at 1–800–397–4209 or
301–415–4737 or email pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day
of February 2012.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning and
Uranium Recovery Licensing Directorate,
Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of Federal
and State Materials and Environmental
Management Programs.
The General Counsel of the
Commission, or his designee, has
certified that, in his opinion, one or
more of the exemptions set forth in 5
U.S.C. 552b(c)(3), (5), (7), 9(B) and (10)
and 17 CFR 200.402(a)(3), (5), (7), 9(ii)
and (10), permit consideration of the
scheduled matters at the Closed
Meeting.
Commissioner Walter, as duty officer,
voted to consider the items listed for the
Closed Meeting in a closed session.
The subject matter of the Closed
Meeting scheduled for Thursday, March
8, 2012 will be:
Institution and settlement of injunctive
actions;
Institution and settlement of
administrative proceedings;
A litigation matter;
An adjudicatory matter; and
Other matters relating to enforcement
proceedings.
At times, changes in Commission
priorities require alterations in the
scheduling of meeting items.
For further information and to
ascertain what, if any, matters have been
added, deleted or postponed, please
contact: The Office of the Secretary at
(202) 551–5400.
Dated: March 1, 2012.
Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–5469 Filed 3–2–12; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–66488; File No. SR–Phlx–
2012–22]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change Relating to
Fees and Rebates for Adding and
Removing Liquidity in Select Symbols
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
February 29, 2012.
[FR Doc. 2012–5363 Filed 3–5–12; 8:45 am]
pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Sunshine Act Meeting
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to
the provisions of the Government in the
Sunshine Act, Public Law 94–409, that
the Securities and Exchange
Commission will hold a Closed Meeting
on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 2 p.m.
Commissioners, Counsel to the
Commissioners, the Secretary to the
Commission, and recording secretaries
will attend the Closed Meeting. Certain
staff members who have an interest in
the matters also may be present.
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Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’), 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on February
16, 2012, NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC
(‘‘Phlx’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘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
1 15
2 17
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
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13377
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 amend
Section I of the Exchange’s Fee
Schedule titled ‘‘Rebates and Fees for
Adding and Removing Liquidity in
Select Symbols,’’ specifically to amend
the Select Symbols 3 and transaction
fees for Single contra-side orders.
While changes to the Fee Schedule
pursuant to this proposal are effective
upon filing, the Exchange has
designated these changes to be operative
on March 1, 2012.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available on the Exchange’s Web site
at https://nasdaqtrader.com/
micro.aspx?id=PHLXfilings, 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 aspects 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 purpose of the proposed rule
change is to amend the list of Select
Symbols in Section I of the Exchange’s
Fee Schedule, entitled ‘‘Rebates and
Fees for Adding and Removing
Liquidity in Select Symbols,’’ in order
to attract additional order flow to the
Exchange.
The Exchange displays a list of Select
Symbols in its Fee Schedule at Section
I, entitled ‘‘Rebates and Fees for Adding
and Removing Liquidity in Select
Symbols,’’ which are subject to the
rebates and fees in that section. The
Exchange is proposing to delete the
following symbols from the list of Select
3 The term ‘‘Select Symbols’’ refers to the symbols
which are subject to the Rebates and Fees for
Adding and Removing Liquidity in Section I of the
Exchange’s Fee Schedule.
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2012 / Notices
pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Symbols: Ciena Corporation (‘‘CIEN’’),
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (‘‘GS’’),
Halliburton Company Common Stock
(‘‘HAL’’), Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Common Stock (‘‘LVS’’), MGM Resorts
International (‘‘MGM’’), Micron
Technology, Inc. (‘‘MU’’), NVidia
Corporation (‘‘NVDA’’), Qualcomm
Incorporated (‘‘QCOM’’), Transocean
Ltd (Switzerland) Co. (‘‘RIG’’), Rambus,
Inc. (‘‘RMBS’’), Silver Wheaton Corp
Common Shares (‘‘SLW’’), PowerShares
DB USD Index Bull (‘‘UUP’’), Visa, Inc.
(‘‘V’’), Wynn Resorts, Limited
(‘‘WYNN’’), United States Steel
Corporation (‘‘X’’) and SPDR S&P Oil &
Gas Exploration & Production (‘‘XOP’’)
(‘‘Deleted Symbols’’). These Deleted
Symbols would be subject to the rebates
and fees in Section II of the Fee
Schedule entitled ‘‘Equity Options
Fees.’’ 4 The Exchange also proposes to
add the following symbols to its list of
Select Symbols: iShares MSCI Emerging
Index Fund (‘‘EEM’’), iShares MSCI
EAFE Index Fund (‘‘EFA’’), iShares
MSCI Brazil Index Fund (‘‘EWZ’’),
iShares Barclays 20 Year Treasury
(‘‘TLT’’), SPDR Select Sector Fund
(‘‘XLI’’) and SPDR Select Sector Fund—
Energy (‘‘XLE’’) (‘‘New Select
Symbols’’). These New Select Symbols
would be subject to the rebates and fees
in Section I of the Fee Schedule.
The Exchange also proposes to amend
certain of the Single contra-side
transaction fees in Section I of the Fee
Schedule to raise revenues and allow
the Exchange to compete more
effectively by subsidizing rebates for
Single contra-side transactions.
Specifically, the Exchange proposes to
increase the Single contra-side Fee for
Removing Liquidity for a Directed
Participant 5 from $0.35 to $0.36 per
contract. The Exchange also proposes to
increase the Single contra-side Fee for
Removing Liquidity for Market Makers 6
from $0.37 to $0.38 per contract. The
Exchange does not propose to amend
the Single contra-side transaction Fees
for Removing Liquidity for Customers,7
4 Section II includes options overlying equities,
ETFs, ETNs, indexes and HOLDRs which are
multiply listed.
5 The term ‘‘Directed Participant’’ applies to
transactions for the account of a Specialist,
Streaming Quote Trader (‘‘SQT’’) or Remote
Streaming Quote Trader (‘‘RSQT’’) resulting from a
Customer order that is (1) directed to it by an order
flow provider, and (2) executed by it electronically
on Phlx XL II.
6 A ‘‘market maker’’ includes Specialists (see Rule
1020) and Registered Options Traders (‘‘ROTs’’)
(Rule 1014(b)(i) and (ii), which includes SQTs (see
Rule 1014(b)(ii)(A)) and RSQTs (see Rule
1014(b)(ii)(B)).
7 Customers are assessed a $0.39 per contract Fee
for Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side
transactions.
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Firms,8 Broker-Dealers 9 and
Professionals.10
The Exchange is also proposing to
make a minor amendment to Section I
of its Fee Schedule to change the
caption of Section I, Part A from ‘‘Single
contra-side order’’ to ‘‘Single contraside.’’ The Exchange believes that
removing the word ‘‘order’’ from the
title will more accurately reflect the fees
and rebates listed in Section I, Part A
because Market Makers, for example,
trade with both quotes and orders.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that its
proposal to amend its Fee Schedule is
consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act 11
in general, and furthers the objectives of
Section 6(b)(4) of the Act 12 in
particular, in that it is an equitable
allocation of reasonable fees and other
charges among Exchange members and
other persons using its facilities. The
Exchange also believes that it is an
equitable allocation of reasonable
rebates among Exchange members and
other persons using its facilities.
The Exchange believes that it is
reasonable to remove the Deleted
Symbols from its list of Select Symbols
to attract additional order flow to the
Exchange. The Exchange believes that
applying the fees in Section II of the Fee
Schedule to the Deleted Symbols,
including the opportunity to receive
payment for order flow, will attract
order flow to the Exchange. Likewise,
the Exchange believes that applying the
fees and rebates in Section I to the New
Select Symbols would attract additional
order flow to the Exchange.
The Exchange believes that it is
equitable and not unfairly
discriminatory to amend its list of Select
Symbols in order to remove the Deleted
Symbols because the list of Select
Symbols would apply uniformly to all
categories of participants in the same
manner. All market participants who
trade the Select Symbols would be
subject to the rebates and fees in Section
I of the Fee Schedule, which would not
include the Deleted Symbols. Also, all
market participants would be uniformly
subject to the fees in Section II, which
would include the Deleted Symbols.
Likewise, the Exchange believes that it
8 Firms are assessed a $0.45 per contract Fee for
Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side
transactions.
9 Broker-Dealers are assessed a $0.45 per contract
Fee for Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side
transactions.
10 Professionals are assessed a $0.45 per contract
Fee for Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side
transactions.
11 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
12 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
PO 00000
Frm 00122
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
is equitable and not unfairly
discriminatory to amend its list of Select
Symbols to add the New Select Symbols
because these symbols would apply
uniformly to all categories of
participants in the same manner. The
fees and rebates in Section I would
apply uniformly to all market
participants transacting the New Select
Symbols.
The Exchange believes that increasing
the Single contra-side Fees for
Removing Liquidity for Directed
Participants and Market Makers by
$0.01 per contract is reasonable because
the Exchange is attempting to further
subsidize the rebates it pays for Single
contra-side transactions by increasing
fees for certain market participants that
are also recipients of rebates for Single
contra-side transactions. In addition, the
Exchange believes that its fees are
competitive as compared to other
exchanges.13
The Exchange believes that increasing
the Single contra-side Fees for
Removing Liquidity for Directed
Participants and Market Makers by
$0.01 per contract is equitable and not
unfairly discriminatory because both
Directed Participants and Market
Makers will continue to be assessed the
lowest Fees for Removing Liquidity as
compared to other market participants.
Market Makers 14 have quoting
obligations to the market which do not
apply to Firms, Professionals and
Broker-Dealers. Also, Directed
Participants 15 have higher quoting
obligations as compared to other Market
Makers and therefore are assessed a
lower fee as compared to Market
Makers.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed amendment to the title of
Section I, Part A to remove the word
‘‘order’’ is reasonable, equitable and not
unfairly discriminatory because the
amendment would correct the rule text
to accurately reflect fees and rebates for
Single contra-side transactions by
eliminating the characterization of the
transactions as orders.
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 not
13 Both NASDAQ Options Market LLC (‘‘NOM’’)
and NYSE Arca, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca’’) assess a
remove fee of $0.45 per contract. See NOM’s fees
at Chapter XV, Section 2 and NYSE Arca’s Fee
Schedule.
14 See Exchange Rule 1014 titled ‘‘Obligations
and Restrictions Applicable to Specialists and
Registered Options Traders.’’
15 See Exchange Rule 1014 titled ‘‘Obligations
and Restrictions Applicable to Specialists and
Registered Options Traders.’’
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2012 / Notices
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were either
solicited or received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act.16 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:
pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File No. SR–
Phlx–2012–22 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–Phlx–2012–22. 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 (https://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 such 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 No. SR–Phlx–2012–
22 and should be submitted on or before
March 27, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.17
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–5328 Filed 3–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–66489; File No. SR–
NASDAQ–2012–004]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Order
Granting Approval of Proposed Rule
Change Relating to the Listing and
Trading of Shares of the Emerging
Markets Corporate Bond Fund of the
WisdomTree Trust
February 29, 2012.
I. Introduction
On January 4, 2012, The NASDAQ
Stock Market LLC (‘‘Nasdaq’’ 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
list and trade the shares (‘‘Shares’’) of
the WisdomTree Emerging Markets
Corporate Bond Fund (‘‘Fund’’) of the
WisdomTree Trust (‘‘Trust’’) under
Nasdaq Rule 5735. The proposed rule
change was published for comment in
the Federal Register on January 24,
17 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
16 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
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13379
2012.3 The Commission received no
comments on the proposal. This order
grants approval of the proposed rule
change.
II. Description of the Proposed Rule
Change
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade the Shares of the Fund under
Nasdaq Rule 5735, which governs the
listing and trading of Managed Fund
Shares on the Exchange. The Fund will
be an actively managed exchange-traded
fund. The Shares will be offered by the
Trust, which was established as a
Delaware statutory trust on December
15, 2005. The Fund is registered with
the Commission as an investment
company and has filed a registration
statement on Form N–1A (‘‘Registration
Statement’’) with the Commission.4
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is
the investment adviser (‘‘Adviser’’) to
the Fund,5 and Western Asset
Management Company serves as subadviser for the Fund (‘‘Sub-Adviser’’).6
The Bank of New York Mellon is the
administrator, custodian, and transfer
agent for the Trust, and ALPS
Distributors, Inc. serves as the
distributor for the Trust.7 The Exchange
states that, while the Adviser is not
affiliated with any broker-dealer, the
Sub-Adviser is affiliated with multiple
broker-dealers and has implemented a
‘‘fire wall’’ with respect to such brokerdealers regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or
changes to the Fund’s portfolio. In
addition, Sub-Adviser personnel who
make decisions regarding the Fund’s
portfolio are subject to procedures
designed to prevent the use and
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 66175
(January 18, 2012), 77 FR 3520 (‘‘Notice’’).
4 See Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to
Registration Statement on Form N–1A for the Trust,
dated July 1, 2011 (File Nos. 333–132380 and 811–
21864).
5 WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is the parent
company of the Adviser.
6 The Sub-Adviser is responsible for day-to-day
management of the Fund and, as such, typically
makes all decisions with respect to portfolio
holdings. The Adviser has ongoing oversight
responsibility.
7 The Commission has issued an order granting
certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–
1) (‘‘1940 Act’’). See Investment Company Act
Release No. 28171 (October 27, 2008) (File No. 812–
13458). In compliance with Nasdaq Rule 5735(b)(5),
which applies to Managed Fund Shares based on
an international or global portfolio, the Trust’s
application for exemptive relief under the 1940 Act
states that the Fund will comply with the federal
securities laws in accepting securities for deposits
and satisfying redemptions with redemption
securities, including that the securities accepted for
deposits and the securities used to satisfy
redemption requests are sold in transactions that
would be exempt from registration under the
Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a).
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13377-13379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5328]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-66488; File No. SR-Phlx-2012-22]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to
Fees and Rebates for Adding and Removing Liquidity in Select Symbols
February 29, 2012.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(``Act''), \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given
that on February 16, 2012, NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC (``Phlx'' or
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``SEC'' or ``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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend Section I of the Exchange's Fee
Schedule titled ``Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing Liquidity in
Select Symbols,'' specifically to amend the Select Symbols \3\ and
transaction fees for Single contra-side orders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The term ``Select Symbols'' refers to the symbols which are
subject to the Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing Liquidity in
Section I of the Exchange's Fee Schedule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While changes to the Fee Schedule pursuant to this proposal are
effective upon filing, the Exchange has designated these changes to be
operative on March 1, 2012.
The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's
Web site at https://nasdaqtrader.com/micro.aspx?id=PHLXfilings, 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 aspects 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 purpose of the proposed rule change is to amend the list of
Select Symbols in Section I of the Exchange's Fee Schedule, entitled
``Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing Liquidity in Select
Symbols,'' in order to attract additional order flow to the Exchange.
The Exchange displays a list of Select Symbols in its Fee Schedule
at Section I, entitled ``Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing
Liquidity in Select Symbols,'' which are subject to the rebates and
fees in that section. The Exchange is proposing to delete the following
symbols from the list of Select
[[Page 13378]]
Symbols: Ciena Corporation (``CIEN''), Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
(``GS''), Halliburton Company Common Stock (``HAL''), Las Vegas Sands
Corp. Common Stock (``LVS''), MGM Resorts International (``MGM''),
Micron Technology, Inc. (``MU''), NVidia Corporation (``NVDA''),
Qualcomm Incorporated (``QCOM''), Transocean Ltd (Switzerland) Co.
(``RIG''), Rambus, Inc. (``RMBS''), Silver Wheaton Corp Common Shares
(``SLW''), PowerShares DB USD Index Bull (``UUP''), Visa, Inc. (``V''),
Wynn Resorts, Limited (``WYNN''), United States Steel Corporation
(``X'') and SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production (``XOP'')
(``Deleted Symbols''). These Deleted Symbols would be subject to the
rebates and fees in Section II of the Fee Schedule entitled ``Equity
Options Fees.'' \4\ The Exchange also proposes to add the following
symbols to its list of Select Symbols: iShares MSCI Emerging Index Fund
(``EEM''), iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (``EFA''), iShares MSCI Brazil
Index Fund (``EWZ''), iShares Barclays 20 Year Treasury (``TLT''), SPDR
Select Sector Fund (``XLI'') and SPDR Select Sector Fund--Energy
(``XLE'') (``New Select Symbols''). These New Select Symbols would be
subject to the rebates and fees in Section I of the Fee Schedule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Section II includes options overlying equities, ETFs, ETNs,
indexes and HOLDRs which are multiply listed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange also proposes to amend certain of the Single contra-
side transaction fees in Section I of the Fee Schedule to raise
revenues and allow the Exchange to compete more effectively by
subsidizing rebates for Single contra-side transactions. Specifically,
the Exchange proposes to increase the Single contra-side Fee for
Removing Liquidity for a Directed Participant \5\ from $0.35 to $0.36
per contract. The Exchange also proposes to increase the Single contra-
side Fee for Removing Liquidity for Market Makers \6\ from $0.37 to
$0.38 per contract. The Exchange does not propose to amend the Single
contra-side transaction Fees for Removing Liquidity for Customers,\7\
Firms,\8\ Broker-Dealers \9\ and Professionals.\10\
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\5\ The term ``Directed Participant'' applies to transactions
for the account of a Specialist, Streaming Quote Trader (``SQT'') or
Remote Streaming Quote Trader (``RSQT'') resulting from a Customer
order that is (1) directed to it by an order flow provider, and (2)
executed by it electronically on Phlx XL II.
\6\ A ``market maker'' includes Specialists (see Rule 1020) and
Registered Options Traders (``ROTs'') (Rule 1014(b)(i) and (ii),
which includes SQTs (see Rule 1014(b)(ii)(A)) and RSQTs (see Rule
1014(b)(ii)(B)).
\7\ Customers are assessed a $0.39 per contract Fee for Removing
Liquidity for Single contra-side transactions.
\8\ Firms are assessed a $0.45 per contract Fee for Removing
Liquidity for Single contra-side transactions.
\9\ Broker-Dealers are assessed a $0.45 per contract Fee for
Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side transactions.
\10\ Professionals are assessed a $0.45 per contract Fee for
Removing Liquidity for Single contra-side transactions.
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The Exchange is also proposing to make a minor amendment to Section
I of its Fee Schedule to change the caption of Section I, Part A from
``Single contra-side order'' to ``Single contra-side.'' The Exchange
believes that removing the word ``order'' from the title will more
accurately reflect the fees and rebates listed in Section I, Part A
because Market Makers, for example, trade with both quotes and orders.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that its proposal to amend its Fee Schedule
is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act \11\ in general, and
furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(4) of the Act \12\ in
particular, in that it is an equitable allocation of reasonable fees
and other charges among Exchange members and other persons using its
facilities. The Exchange also believes that it is an equitable
allocation of reasonable rebates among Exchange members and other
persons using its facilities.
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\11\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\12\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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The Exchange believes that it is reasonable to remove the Deleted
Symbols from its list of Select Symbols to attract additional order
flow to the Exchange. The Exchange believes that applying the fees in
Section II of the Fee Schedule to the Deleted Symbols, including the
opportunity to receive payment for order flow, will attract order flow
to the Exchange. Likewise, the Exchange believes that applying the fees
and rebates in Section I to the New Select Symbols would attract
additional order flow to the Exchange.
The Exchange believes that it is equitable and not unfairly
discriminatory to amend its list of Select Symbols in order to remove
the Deleted Symbols because the list of Select Symbols would apply
uniformly to all categories of participants in the same manner. All
market participants who trade the Select Symbols would be subject to
the rebates and fees in Section I of the Fee Schedule, which would not
include the Deleted Symbols. Also, all market participants would be
uniformly subject to the fees in Section II, which would include the
Deleted Symbols. Likewise, the Exchange believes that it is equitable
and not unfairly discriminatory to amend its list of Select Symbols to
add the New Select Symbols because these symbols would apply uniformly
to all categories of participants in the same manner. The fees and
rebates in Section I would apply uniformly to all market participants
transacting the New Select Symbols.
The Exchange believes that increasing the Single contra-side Fees
for Removing Liquidity for Directed Participants and Market Makers by
$0.01 per contract is reasonable because the Exchange is attempting to
further subsidize the rebates it pays for Single contra-side
transactions by increasing fees for certain market participants that
are also recipients of rebates for Single contra-side transactions. In
addition, the Exchange believes that its fees are competitive as
compared to other exchanges.\13\
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\13\ Both NASDAQ Options Market LLC (``NOM'') and NYSE Arca,
Inc. (``NYSE Arca'') assess a remove fee of $0.45 per contract. See
NOM's fees at Chapter XV, Section 2 and NYSE Arca's Fee Schedule.
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The Exchange believes that increasing the Single contra-side Fees
for Removing Liquidity for Directed Participants and Market Makers by
$0.01 per contract is equitable and not unfairly discriminatory because
both Directed Participants and Market Makers will continue to be
assessed the lowest Fees for Removing Liquidity as compared to other
market participants. Market Makers \14\ have quoting obligations to the
market which do not apply to Firms, Professionals and Broker-Dealers.
Also, Directed Participants \15\ have higher quoting obligations as
compared to other Market Makers and therefore are assessed a lower fee
as compared to Market Makers.
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\14\ See Exchange Rule 1014 titled ``Obligations and
Restrictions Applicable to Specialists and Registered Options
Traders.''
\15\ See Exchange Rule 1014 titled ``Obligations and
Restrictions Applicable to Specialists and Registered Options
Traders.''
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The Exchange believes that the proposed amendment to the title of
Section I, Part A to remove the word ``order'' is reasonable, equitable
and not unfairly discriminatory because the amendment would correct the
rule text to accurately reflect fees and rebates for Single contra-side
transactions by eliminating the characterization of the transactions as
orders.
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 not
[[Page 13379]]
necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were either solicited or received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act.\16\ 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.
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\16\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
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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 (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File No. SR-Phlx-2012-22 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-Phlx-2012-22. 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 (https://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 such 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 No. SR-Phlx-2012-22 and should be
submitted on or before March 27, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\17\
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\17\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-5328 Filed 3-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P