Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change for a Temporary Suspension of Those Aspects of Rules 36.20 and 36.21 That Would Not Permit Floor Brokers To Use Personal Portable Phone Devices on the Trading Floor Due to the Unavailability of Floor Broker Telephone Services, 42766-42768 [2016-15499]
Download as PDF
42766
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2016 / Notices
improper activity in connection with
Equity Investment Tracking Stocks, help
assure compliance with the proposed
listing standards, and identify areas
where such standards might need to be
strengthened going forward.
With respect to the proposed fees, the
Commission believes it is consistent
with the Act for the Exchange to
exclude issuers whose only common
equity security listed on the Exchange is
an Equity Investment Tracking Stock
from receiving the complimentary
products and services provided for
under Section 907.00 of the Manual.
The Exchange stated that most of the
services provided under Section 907.00
would be of limited value and appeal to
issuers of Equity Investment Tracking
Stocks.
Finally, the Commission believes that
the proposed listing and annual fees for
Equity Investment Tracking Stocks are
an equitable allocation of reasonable
fees. The Exchange stated that it is
appropriate to charge lower fees to
issuers whose only common equity
security listed on the Exchange is an
Equity Investment Tracking Stock
because there are regulatory efficiencies
for the Exchange when the issuer of an
Equity Investment Tracking Stock and
the issuer of the tracked stock are both
listed on the Exchange. The Exchange
represented that it does not believe that
the proposed fees would negatively
affect its ability to continue to
adequately fund its regulatory program
or the services the Exchange provides to
issuers. According to the Exchange,
these lower fees also reflect the fact that
issuers whose only listed security is an
Equity Investment Tracking Stock will
not receive the complimentary products
and services that other listed issuers of
equity securities are eligible for under
Section 907.00 of the Manual.
IV. Conclusion
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to
Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,39 that the
proposed rule change (SR–NYSE–2016–
22), as modified by Amendment Nos. 5
and 6, be, and it hereby is, approved.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.40
Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–15457 Filed 6–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
[Release No. 34–78154; File No. SR–NYSE–
2016–46]
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change for a
Temporary Suspension of Those
Aspects of Rules 36.20 and 36.21 That
Would Not Permit Floor Brokers To
Use Personal Portable Phone Devices
on the Trading Floor Due to the
Unavailability of Floor Broker
Telephone Services
June 24, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that on June 24,
2016, New York Stock Exchange LLC
(‘‘NYSE’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with
the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I and II below, which Items have
been prepared by the self-regulatory
organization. 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 a temporary
suspension of those aspects of Rules
36.20 and 36.21 that would not permit
Floor brokers to use personal portable
phone devices on the Trading Floor due
to the unavailability of Floor broker
telephone services on June 24, 2016.
The proposed rule change is available
on the Exchange’s Web site at
www.nyse.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
self-regulatory organization 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 those 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,
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
39 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).
40 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:01 Jun 29, 2016
2 15
Jkt 238001
PO 00000
Frm 00138
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to temporarily
suspend those aspects of Rules 36.20
and 36.21 that would not permit Floor
brokers to use personal portable phone
devices on the Trading Floor.4 As
proposed, all other aspects of Rule 36
remain applicable and the temporary
suspensions of the applicable Rule 36
requirements are in effect on June 24,
2016 only.5
On June 24, 2016, the third-party
carrier that provides service for the
wired phone lines for Floor brokers
experienced an issue that affected the
availability of those phone lines. This
suspension of service only impacted the
service for telephone service for Floor
brokers and did not impact phone
service for Designated Market Makers.
The Exchange is working closely with
the third-party carrier to restore such
phone service.
Rules 36.20 and 36.21 govern the type
of telephone communications that are
approved for Floor brokers. Pursuant to
Rule 36.20, Floor brokers may maintain
a telephone line on the Trading Floor
and use Exchange authorized and
provided portable phones while on the
Trading Floor. The use of such
Exchange authorized and provided
portable phones is governed by Rule
36.21. Because of the issues with the
third-party carrier, Floor brokers are
unable to reach their customers via their
third-party carrier wired telephone
lines. While Exchange-provided
portable phones are operating, not all
Floor brokers have Exchange-provided
and authorized portable phones.
However, the personal cell phones of
Floor brokers are operational on the
Trading Floor. The Exchange believes
that because communications with
customers is a vital part of a Floor
broker’s role as agent and therefore
contributes to maintaining a fair and
orderly market, during the period when
the phone lines are non-operational,
Floor brokers who do not have
Exchange authorized and provided
portable phones should be permitted to
4 Pursuant to Rule 6A, the Trading Floor is
defined as the restricted-access physical areas
designated by the Exchange for the trading of
securities.
5 The Exchange provided Floor brokers with
notice of this rule filing, including the applicable
recordkeeping and other requirements related to
using personal cell phones during the temporary
suspension of Rule 36.
E:\FR\FM\30JNN1.SGM
30JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2016 / Notices
use personal cell phone devices in lieu
of the non-operational wired phone
lines.6
The Exchange therefore proposes to
temporarily suspend the limitations in
Rules 36.20 and 36.21 that permit Floor
brokers to use only Exchange authorized
and provided portable phones so that
Floor brokers who do not have an
Exchange authorized and portable
phone may use personal cell phones on
the Trading Floor. The Exchange
proposes that pursuant to this
temporary suspension, Floor brokers
must provide the Exchange with the
names of all Floor-based personnel who
used personal portable phones during
this temporary suspension period,
together with the phone number and
applicable carrier for each number.
Floor broker member organizations must
maintain in their books and records all
cell phone records that show both
incoming and outgoing calls that were
made during the period that a personal
portable phone was used on the Trading
Floor. To the extent the records are
unavailable from the third-party carrier,
the Floor brokers must maintain
contemporaneous records of all calls
made or received on a personal portable
phone while on the Trading Floor. As
with all member organization records,
such cell phone records must be
provided to Exchange regulatory staff on
request.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b) of the Act,7 in general, and
furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5)
of the Act,8 in particular, in that 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.
In particular, because of issues
experienced by a third-party phone
carrier, wired phone lines are not
functional. The Exchange believes that
the proposed temporary suspensions
from those aspects of Rule 36 that
restrict Floor broker’s use of personal
portable phones on the Trading Floor
removes impediments to and perfects
the mechanism of a free and open
6 To the extent that the wired phone lines are
operational, Floor brokers must use those phone
lines rather than use a personal cell phone.
7 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
8 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:01 Jun 29, 2016
Jkt 238001
market and national market system
because the proposed relief will enable
Floor brokers who do not have an
Exchange authorized and provided
portable phone to conduct their regular
business, notwithstanding the ongoing
issues with telephone service. The
Exchange further believes that without
the requested relief, Floor brokers
would be compromised in their ability
to conduct their regular course of
business on the Trading Floor. In
particular, for Floor brokers, because
they operate as agents for customers,
their inability to communicate with
customers could compromise their
ability to represent public orders on the
Trading Floor.
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 that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. The
Exchange does not believe that the
proposed rule change will impose any
burden on competition because the
proposed change only impacts Floor
brokers and has no change in operations
for other market participants or other
market centers. To the contrary, the
Exchange believes that without the
proposed relief, Floor brokers would be
compromised in their ability to conduct
their regular course of business on the
Trading Floor, thereby placing a burden
on the Floor brokers’ ability to compete.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The Exchange has filed the proposed
rule change pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act 9 and Rule
19b–4(f)(6) thereunder.10 Because the
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
prior to 30 days from the date on which
it was filed, or such shorter time as the
Commission may designate, if
consistent with the protection of
investors and the public interest, the
proposed rule change has become
9 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
10 17
PO 00000
Frm 00139
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
42767
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)
of the Act and Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii)
thereunder.11
A proposed rule change filed under
Rule 19b–4(f)(6) under the Act 12
normally does not become operative
prior to 30 days after the date of the
filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b–
4(f)(6)(iii),13 the Commission may
designate a shorter time if such action
is consistent with the protection of
investors and the public interest. The
Exchange has asked the Commission to
waive the 30-day operative delay so that
the proposal may become operative
immediately upon filing. In support of
the request, the Exchange states that
waiver the 30-day operative delay will
allow the Exchange to invoke the relief
immediately upon filing, which is
necessary so that Floor brokers may be
able to communicate with their
customers on a day with significantly
increased volumes of trading due both
to the United Kingdom referendum vote
to leave the European Union and the
rebalancing of the Russell Investment
Group indices after the close of trading
on June 24, 2016. Based on the above,
the Commission believes that waiver of
the 30-day operative delay is consistent
with the protection of investors and the
public interest because it will permit
Floor brokers to remain in
communication with customers while
wired phone lines are unavailable.
Accordingly, the Commission
designates the proposed rule change as
operative upon filing with the
Commission.14
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of such 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
under Section 19(b)(2)(B) 15 of the Act to
determine whether the proposed rule
11 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b–
4(f)(6) requires a self-regulatory organization to give
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 Commission
has determined to waive the five-day prefiling
period in this case.
12 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
13 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6)(iii).
14 For 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).
15 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
E:\FR\FM\30JNN1.SGM
30JNN1
42768
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2016 / Notices
change 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:
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.16
Jill M. Peterson,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–15499 Filed 6–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Electronic Comments
[Release No. 34–78150; File No. SR–
NASDAQ–2016–086]
• 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 Number SR–
NYSE–2016–46 on the subject line.
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of
Filing of Proposed Rule Change to List
and Trade the Shares of the VanEck
Vectors Long/Flat Commodity ETF
Paper Comments
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSE–2016–46. 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
10:00 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–NYSE–
2016–46 and should be submitted on or
before July 21, 2016.
June 24, 2016.
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 June 10,
2016, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
(‘‘Nasdaq’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed
rule change as described in Items I and
II 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 list and
trade the shares of the VanEck Vectors
Long/Flat Commodity ETF (the
‘‘Fund’’), a series of VanEck Vectors ETF
Trust (‘‘Trust’’), under Nasdaq Rule
5735 (‘‘Managed Fund Shares’’). The
shares of the Fund are collectively
referred to herein as the ‘‘Shares.’’
The text of the proposed rule change
is available at https://
nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com/, at Nasdaq’s
principal office, 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
1 15
16 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:01 Jun 29, 2016
2 17
Jkt 238001
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
Frm 00140
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
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 3 on the Exchange.4 The Fund
will be an actively managed exchangetraded fund (‘‘ETF’’). The Shares will be
offered by the Trust, which was
organized as a Delaware statutory trust
on March 15, 2001.5 The Trust is
registered with the Commission as an
investment company and has filed a
registration statement on Form N–1A
(‘‘Registration Statement’’) with the
Commission.6 The Fund is a series of
the Trust.
Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers
Corporation will be the investment
adviser (‘‘Adviser’’) and the
3 A Managed Fund Share is a security that
represents an interest in an investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (the ‘‘1940 Act’’) organized
as an open-end investment company or similar
entity that invests in a portfolio of securities
selected by its investment adviser consistent with
its investment objectives and policies. In contrast,
an open-end investment company that issues Index
Fund Shares, listed and traded on the Exchange
under Nasdaq Rule 5705, seeks to provide
investment results that correspond generally to the
price and yield performance of a specific foreign or
domestic stock index, fixed income securities index
or combination thereof.
4 The Commission approved Nasdaq Rule 5735 in
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57962 (June
13, 2008), 73 FR 35175 (June 20, 2008) (SR–
NASDAQ–2008–039). The Fund would not be the
first actively-managed fund listed on the Exchange;
see Securities Exchange Act Release No. 66489
(February 29, 2012), 77 FR 13379 (March 6, 2012)
(SR–NASDAQ–2012–004) (order approving listing
and trading of WisdomTree Emerging Markets
Corporate Bond Fund). The Exchange believes the
proposed rule change raises no significant issues
not previously addressed in those prior
Commission orders.
5 The Commission has issued an order granting
certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940
Act (the ‘‘Exemptive Order’’). See Investment
Company Act Release No. 29571 (January 24, 2011)
(File No. 812–13601). 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).
6 See Registration Statement on Form N–1A for
the Trust, dated November 12, 2015 (File Nos. 333–
123257 and 811–10325). The descriptions of the
Fund and the Shares contained herein are based, in
part, on information in the Registration Statement.
E:\FR\FM\30JNN1.SGM
30JNN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42766-42768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15499]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-78154; File No. SR-NYSE-2016-46]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC;
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change
for a Temporary Suspension of Those Aspects of Rules 36.20 and 36.21
That Would Not Permit Floor Brokers To Use Personal Portable Phone
Devices on the Trading Floor Due to the Unavailability of Floor Broker
Telephone Services
June 24, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby
given that on June 24, 2016, New York Stock Exchange LLC (``NYSE'' or
the ``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I
and II below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory
organization. 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\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes a temporary suspension of those aspects of
Rules 36.20 and 36.21 that would not permit Floor brokers to use
personal portable phone devices on the Trading Floor due to the
unavailability of Floor broker telephone services on June 24, 2016. The
proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site at
www.nyse.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 self-regulatory organization
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 those 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 the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to temporarily suspend those aspects of Rules
36.20 and 36.21 that would not permit Floor brokers to use personal
portable phone devices on the Trading Floor.\4\ As proposed, all other
aspects of Rule 36 remain applicable and the temporary suspensions of
the applicable Rule 36 requirements are in effect on June 24, 2016
only.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Pursuant to Rule 6A, the Trading Floor is defined as the
restricted-access physical areas designated by the Exchange for the
trading of securities.
\5\ The Exchange provided Floor brokers with notice of this rule
filing, including the applicable recordkeeping and other
requirements related to using personal cell phones during the
temporary suspension of Rule 36.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On June 24, 2016, the third-party carrier that provides service for
the wired phone lines for Floor brokers experienced an issue that
affected the availability of those phone lines. This suspension of
service only impacted the service for telephone service for Floor
brokers and did not impact phone service for Designated Market Makers.
The Exchange is working closely with the third-party carrier to restore
such phone service.
Rules 36.20 and 36.21 govern the type of telephone communications
that are approved for Floor brokers. Pursuant to Rule 36.20, Floor
brokers may maintain a telephone line on the Trading Floor and use
Exchange authorized and provided portable phones while on the Trading
Floor. The use of such Exchange authorized and provided portable phones
is governed by Rule 36.21. Because of the issues with the third-party
carrier, Floor brokers are unable to reach their customers via their
third-party carrier wired telephone lines. While Exchange-provided
portable phones are operating, not all Floor brokers have Exchange-
provided and authorized portable phones. However, the personal cell
phones of Floor brokers are operational on the Trading Floor. The
Exchange believes that because communications with customers is a vital
part of a Floor broker's role as agent and therefore contributes to
maintaining a fair and orderly market, during the period when the phone
lines are non-operational, Floor brokers who do not have Exchange
authorized and provided portable phones should be permitted to
[[Page 42767]]
use personal cell phone devices in lieu of the non-operational wired
phone lines.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ To the extent that the wired phone lines are operational,
Floor brokers must use those phone lines rather than use a personal
cell phone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange therefore proposes to temporarily suspend the
limitations in Rules 36.20 and 36.21 that permit Floor brokers to use
only Exchange authorized and provided portable phones so that Floor
brokers who do not have an Exchange authorized and portable phone may
use personal cell phones on the Trading Floor. The Exchange proposes
that pursuant to this temporary suspension, Floor brokers must provide
the Exchange with the names of all Floor-based personnel who used
personal portable phones during this temporary suspension period,
together with the phone number and applicable carrier for each number.
Floor broker member organizations must maintain in their books and
records all cell phone records that show both incoming and outgoing
calls that were made during the period that a personal portable phone
was used on the Trading Floor. To the extent the records are
unavailable from the third-party carrier, the Floor brokers must
maintain contemporaneous records of all calls made or received on a
personal portable phone while on the Trading Floor. As with all member
organization records, such cell phone records must be provided to
Exchange regulatory staff on request.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent
with Section 6(b) of the Act,\7\ in general, and furthers the
objectives of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\8\ in particular, in that 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\8\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In particular, because of issues experienced by a third-party phone
carrier, wired phone lines are not functional. The Exchange believes
that the proposed temporary suspensions from those aspects of Rule 36
that restrict Floor broker's use of personal portable phones on the
Trading Floor removes impediments to and perfects the mechanism of a
free and open market and national market system because the proposed
relief will enable Floor brokers who do not have an Exchange authorized
and provided portable phone to conduct their regular business,
notwithstanding the ongoing issues with telephone service. The Exchange
further believes that without the requested relief, Floor brokers would
be compromised in their ability to conduct their regular course of
business on the Trading Floor. In particular, for Floor brokers,
because they operate as agents for customers, their inability to
communicate with customers could compromise their ability to represent
public orders on the Trading Floor.
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 that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange does not
believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on
competition because the proposed change only impacts Floor brokers and
has no change in operations for other market participants or other
market centers. To the contrary, the Exchange believes that without the
proposed relief, Floor brokers would be compromised in their ability to
conduct their regular course of business on the Trading Floor, thereby
placing a burden on the Floor brokers' ability to compete.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \9\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\10\
Because the 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 prior to
30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as
the Commission may designate, if consistent with the protection of
investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
\10\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
\11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)
requires a self-regulatory organization to give 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 Commission has determined to waive the five-day prefiling period
in this case.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) under the Act
\12\ normally does not become operative prior to 30 days after the date
of the filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\13\ the
Commission may designate a shorter time if such action is consistent
with the protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange
has asked the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that
the proposal may become operative immediately upon filing. In support
of the request, the Exchange states that waiver the 30-day operative
delay will allow the Exchange to invoke the relief immediately upon
filing, which is necessary so that Floor brokers may be able to
communicate with their customers on a day with significantly increased
volumes of trading due both to the United Kingdom referendum vote to
leave the European Union and the rebalancing of the Russell Investment
Group indices after the close of trading on June 24, 2016. Based on the
above, the Commission believes that waiver of the 30-day operative
delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public
interest because it will permit Floor brokers to remain in
communication with customers while wired phone lines are unavailable.
Accordingly, the Commission designates the proposed rule change as
operative upon filing with the Commission.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
\13\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
\14\ For 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 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 under
Section 19(b)(2)(B) \15\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed
rule
[[Page 42768]]
change should be approved or disapproved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Number SR-NYSE-2016-46 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2016-46. 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
10:00 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-NYSE-2016-46 and should be
submitted on or before July 21, 2016.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\16\
Jill M. Peterson,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-15499 Filed 6-29-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P