Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change to the Exchange's Transaction Fees and Credits and Qualified Market Maker Program, at Equity 7, Section 118, 70239-70243 [2019-27456]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website 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. Persons submitting comments are cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying information from comment submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR–CBOE–2019–117 and should be submitted on or before January 10, 2020. For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.20 J. Matthew DeLesDernier, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2019–27460 Filed 12–19–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P [Release No. 34–87760; File No. SR–BX– 2019–045] Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change to the Exchange’s Transaction Fees and Credits and Qualified Market Maker Program, at Equity 7, Section 118 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES December 16, 2019. 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 December 11, 2019, Nasdaq BX, Inc. (‘‘BX’’ 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. CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 2 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 1 15 VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:30 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 250001 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 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 20 17 I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The Exchange proposes to amend: (i) The Exchange’s transaction fees and credits, at Equity 7, Section 118(a); and (ii) its Qualified Market Maker Program, at Equity 7, Section 118(f), as described further below. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange’s website at https://nasdaqbx.cchwallstreet.com/, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission’s Public Reference Room. 1. Purpose The Exchange operates on the ‘‘takermaker’’ model, whereby it generally pays credits to members that take liquidity and charges fees to members that provide liquidity. Currently, the Exchange has a schedule, at Equity 7, Section 118(a), which consists of several different credits that it provides for orders in securities priced at $1 or more per share that access liquidity on the Exchange and several different charges that it assesses for orders in such securities that add liquidity on the Exchange. It also has a program, at Equity 7, Section 118(f), to reward those of its members that make significant contributions to the market. Over the course of the last few months, the Exchange has experimented with various reformulations of its pricing schedule with the aim of increasing activity on the Exchange, improving market quality, and increasing market share.3 Although 3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34– 87271 (October 10, 2019), 84 FR 55621 (October 17, 2019) (SR–BX–2019–035); Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34–87093 (September 24, 2019), 84 FR 57530 (October 25, 2019) (SR–BX–2019–031); Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34–86447 (July PO 00000 Frm 00094 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 70239 these changes have met with some success, the Exchange has yet to achieve the results it desires. Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to again restate its pricing schedule, in large part, in a further attempt to improve the attractiveness of the market to new and existing participants. Description of the Changes Credits for Accessing Liquidity Through the Exchange The Exchange proposes to eliminate its schedule of existing credits (except as described below) and replace it with a new schedule of credits for orders in securities that remove liquidity from the Exchange (the ‘‘New Credits’’). Generally speaking, the proposed New Credits will be higher than the existing credits for orders in Tape C and lower than the existing credits for orders in securities in Tapes A and B.4 The proposed New Credits for orders in securities in all Tapes also will no longer be tied to threshold levels of liquidity removal activity in securities in Tape C. The Exchange believes that higher overall credits for orders in securities in Tape C will incentivize members to increase their liquidity removal activity in securities in Tape C. Meanwhile, eliminating the Tape C removal activity requirement from the qualifying criteria for credits for orders in securities in all Tapes will render those credits easier for members to attain, even as the amounts of those credits decrease for securities in Tapes A and B. Specifically, the Exchange proposes to adopt the following New Credits: • A $0.0029 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0028 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price improvement and execute against an order with a 24, 2019); 84 FR 36989 (July 30, 2019) (SR–BX– 2019–026); Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34– 85912 (May 22, 2019); 84 FR 24834 (May 29, 2019) (SR–BX–2019–013). 4 Whereas the highest credit under the existing schedule (for a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month) is $0.0031 per share executed for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and the lowest credit is $0.0018 per share executed, the top such credit in the proposed schedule will be $0.0029 per share executed and the lowest credit will be $0.0015 per share executed. And whereas the highest credit under the existing schedule (for a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month) is $0.0017 per share executed for orders in securities in Tape C and the lowest credit is $0.0005 per share executed, the top such credit in the proposed schedule will be $0.0028 per share executed and the lowest will be $0.0014 per share executed. E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 70240 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices Non-displayed price) entered by a member: (i) Whose combined liquidity removing and adding activities equal to or exceed 0.225% of total Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month. • A $0.0026 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0025 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) entered by a member that: (i) Accesses liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.08% of total Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month. • A $0.0021 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0020 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) entered by a member that: (i) Accesses liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.05% of total Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month. • A $0.0015 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0014 per share executed credit for orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month. As noted above, the proposed New Credits will not supplant all of the existing provisions. Instead, the Exchange proposes that the following existing provisions will continue to apply to orders in securities in all Tapes: • $0.0000 per share executed for an order that receives price improvement and executes against an order with a Non-displayed price; and • $0.0000 per share executed for an order with Midpoint pegging that removes liquidity. The Exchange also proposes to continue charging a fee for orders in securities in any Tape (excluding an order with midpoint pegging and excluding an order that receives price VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:30 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 250001 improvement and executes against an order with a non-displayed price) that removes liquidity from the Exchange and that is entered by a member that does not add at least an average daily volume of 50,000 shares to the Exchange during a month. However, the Exchange proposes to increase that fee for orders in securities in all Tapes from $0.0005 to $0.0007 per share executed. Charges for Adding Liquidity to the Exchange In addition to the above, the Exchange proposes to replace its existing schedule of charges for adding displayed liquidity to the Exchange (the ‘‘New Charges’’). Generally speaking, the range of the proposed New Charges will be lower than the existing charges for orders in Tapes A and B and higher for orders in Tape C.5 The proposed New Charges for displayed orders in securities in Tapes A and B also will no longer be tied to threshold levels of liquidity adding activity in securities in Tape B and the proposed New Charges for displayed orders in securities in Tape C will no longer be tied to threshold levels of liquidity adding activity in securities in Tape C. The Exchange believes that lower overall charges for orders in securities in Tapes A and B will incentivize members to increase their liquidity adding activity in securities in Tapes A and B. Higher charges for orders that add liquidity in Tape C will help to offset the costs of providing higher credits to members with orders in securities in Tape C that remove liquidity from the Exchange. Specifically, the Exchange proposes to delete all of the existing charges for providing liquidity in displayed orders through the Exchange (except as provided below) and replace them with the following New Charges: • A $0.0024 per share executed charge for displayed orders entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.25% of total Consolidated Volume during a month. • A $0.0026 per share executed charge for displayed orders entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.15% of total Consolidated Volume during a month. • A $0.0028 per share executed charge for displayed orders entered by 5 Whereas under the existing pricing schedule, the Exchange charges between $0.0025 and $0.0029 per share executed for displayed orders in securities in Tapes A and B, and between $0.0012 and $0.0017 per share executed for displayed orders in securities in Tape C, that add liquidity to the Exchange equal to or exceeding certain volume thresholds each month, the proposed schedule will charge fees for such displayed orders in securities in all three Tapes ranging from $0.0024 to $0.0028 per share executed. PO 00000 Frm 00095 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.07% of total Consolidated Volume during a month. • Although the Exchange will continue to charge $0.0030 per share executed for all other orders in securities in Tapes A and B, it will increase its charge for all other orders in securities in Tape C from $0.0020 to $0.0030 per share executed. The Exchange proposes that following existing charges will continue to apply to orders in securities in all Tapes: • A $0.0005 per share executed charge for orders with Midpoint pegging entered by a member that adds 0.02% of total Consolidated Volume of nondisplayed liquidity excluding a buy (sell) order that receives an execution price that is lower (higher) than the midpoint of the NBBO. • A $0.0015 per share executed charge for orders with Midpoint pegging entered by other member excluding a buy (sell) order that receives an execution price that is lower (higher) than the midpoint of the NBBO. • A $0.0030 per share executed charge for a buy (sell) order with Midpoint pegging entered by a member that receives an execution price that is lower (higher) than the midpoint of the NBBO. • A $0.0028 per share executed charge for non-displayed orders (other than orders with Midpoint pegging) entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.25% total Consolidated Volume during a month. • A $0.0030 per share executed charge for all other non-displayed orders. • Charges for entering BSTG, BSCN, BMOP, BTFY, BCRT, BDRK, BCST, and SCAR orders that execute in a venue other than the Nasdaq BX Equities System. Changes to Qualified Market Maker Program The Exchange presently has a Qualified Market Maker (‘‘QMM’’) program, at Equity 7, Section 118(f), which rewards members that make significant contributions to market quality by providing liquidity at the national best bid and offer (‘‘NBBO’’) in a large number of securities for a significant portion of the day. In particular, the existing QMM program provides a member with a reduced transaction fee of $0.0016 per share executed for all of its displayed orders in securities priced at $1 or more if the member: (i) Quotes at the NBBO at least 25% of the time during market hours in an average of at least 400 securities per day during a month; and (ii) provides E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES add volume during a month of at least 0.125% of total Consolidated Volume. The Exchange now proposes to replace the existing QMM program with one that will provide QMMs with two tiers of discounts off of their regular fees for displayed orders priced at $1 or more that add liquidity to the Exchange. The amount of the new discounts will vary depending upon the number of securities in which the QMM quotes at the NBBO and the extent to which the QMM adds liquidity as a percentage of total Consolidated Volume. First, if a QMM quotes at the NBBO at least 25% of the time during market hours in an average of at least 400 securities per day, and if it provides add volume of at least 0.07% of total Consolidated Volume during a month, then the QMM will be entitled to receive a discount of $0.0001 per share executed. Second, if a QMM quotes at the NBBO at least 25% of the time during market hours in an average of at least 750 securities per day, and if it provides add volume of at least 0.15% of total Consolidated Volume during a month, then the QMM will be entitled to receive a discount of $0.0002 per share executed. These discounts will not be cumulative. The Exchange intends for its new QMM program to provide greater incentives to members to increase their contributions to market quality. Applicability to and Impact on Participants The proposed rule change is a broad restatement of the Exchange’s schedule of credits and charges. The Exchange has designed the restated schedule to specifically increase liquidity removal activity on the Exchange for orders in securities in Tape C, to increase liquidity adding activity in Tapes A and B, and to thereby improve the overall quality and attractiveness of the Nasdaq BX market. The Exchange intends to accomplish this objective by providing overall higher credits to those participants that engage in large volumes of liquidity removal activity on the Exchange in securities in Tape C and by charging lower overall fees to those participants that add liquidity to the Exchange in securities in Tapes A and B. The Exchange also intends to provide greater incentives to members to act as QMMs and to contribute significantly to the improvement of the market. Those participants that act as net removers of liquidity from the Exchange in securities in Tape C will benefit directly from the proposed rule change through the receipts of higher credits. Those participants that act as net adders of liquidity to the Exchange in securities VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:30 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 250001 in Tapes A and B will also benefit from lower charges and indirectly from any improvement in the overall quality of the market. However, net liquidity adders in securities in Tape C and net removers of liquidity in securities in Tapes A and B will bear the costs of these proposals. The Exchange notes that its proposal is not otherwise targeted at or expected to be limited in its applicability to a specific segment(s) of market participants nor will it apply differently to different types of market participants. Members will not be impacted directly by the replacement of the existing QMM program because no member currently qualifies for that program. 2. Statutory Basis The Exchange believes that its proposal is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act,6 in general, and furthers the objectives of Sections 6(b)(4) and 6(b)(5) of the Act,7 in particular, in that it provides for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and other charges among members and issuers and other persons using any facility, and is not designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers. The proposal is also consistent with Section 11A of the Act relating to the establishment of the national market system for securities. The Proposal is Reasonable The Exchange’s proposed change to its schedule of credits and charges is reasonable in several respects. As a threshold matter, the Exchange is subject to significant competitive forces in the market for equity securities transaction services that constrain its pricing determinations in that market. The fact that this market is competitive has long been recognized by the courts. In NetCoalition v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the D.C. Circuit stated as follows: ‘‘[n]o one disputes that competition for order flow is ‘fierce.’ . . . As the SEC explained, ‘[i]n the U.S. national market system, buyers and sellers of securities, and the brokerdealers that act as their order-routing agents, have a wide range of choices of where to route orders for execution’; [and] ‘no exchange can afford to take its market share percentages for granted’ because ‘no exchange possesses a monopoly, regulatory or otherwise, in 6 15 7 15 PO 00000 U.S.C. 78f(b). U.S.C. 78f(b)(4) and (5). Frm 00096 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 70241 the execution of order flow from broker dealers’. . . .’’ 8 The Commission and the courts have repeatedly expressed their preference for competition over regulatory intervention in determining prices, products, and services in the securities markets. In Regulation NMS, while adopting a series of steps to improve the current market model, the Commission highlighted the importance of market forces in determining prices and SRO revenues and, also, recognized that current regulation of the market system ‘‘has been remarkably successful in promoting market competition in its broader forms that are most important to investors and listed companies.’’ 9 Numerous indicia demonstrate the competitive nature of this market. For example, clear substitutes to the Exchange exist in the market for equity security transaction services. The Exchange is only one of several equity venues to which market participants may direct their order flow, and it represents a small percentage of the overall market. It is also only one of several taker-maker exchanges. Competing equity exchanges offer similar tiered pricing structures to that of the Exchange, including schedules of rebates and fees that apply based upon members achieving certain volume thresholds.10 Within this environment, market participants can freely and often do shift their order flow among the Exchange and competing venues in response to changes in their respective pricing schedules.11 Separately, the Exchange has provided the SEC staff with multiple examples of instances where 8 NetCoalition v. SEC, 615 F.3d 525, 539 (D.C. Cir. 2010) (quoting Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59039 (December 2, 2008), 73 FR 74770, 74782–83 (December 9, 2008) (SR–NYSEArca–2006–21)). 9 Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005) (‘‘Regulation NMS Adopting Release’’). 10 CBOE EDGA provides a standard rebate for liquidity removers of $0.00180 per share executed (or between $0.0022 and $0.0028 per share executed if a member qualifies for a volume tier), and a standard charge of $0.0030 per share executed for liquidity adders (or between $0.0022 and $0.0026 if a member qualifies for a volume tier). NYSE National has a standard charge of $0.0005 per share executed for liquidity removers ($0.0025 and $0.0030 rebate if a member qualifies for a volume tier) and a standard charge of $0.0028 per share executed for liquidity adders (and a range of charges from $0.0020–$0.0026 if a member qualifies for a volume tier). 11 The Exchange perceives no regulatory, structural, or cost impediments to market participants shifting order flow away from it. In particular, the Exchange notes that these examples of shifts in liquidity and market share, along with many others, have occurred within the context of market participants’ existing duties of Best Execution and obligations under the Order Protection Rule under Regulation NMS. E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1 70242 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES pricing changes by BX and other exchanges have resulted in shifts in exchange market share. Within the foregoing context, the proposal represents a reasonable attempt by the Exchange to increase its liquidity and market share relative to its competitors. The Exchange has designed its proposed schedule of credits and charges to provide increased overall incentives to members to increase their liquidity removal and adding activity on the Exchange. An increase in liquidity removal and adding activity on the Exchange will, in turn, improve the quality of the Nasdaq BX market and increase its attractiveness to existing and prospective participants. Generally, the proposed New Credits and Charges will be comparable to, if not favorable to, those that its competitors provide.12 Moreover, the Exchange believes that it is reasonable to bolster its QMM program as a means of incentivizing members to act as QMMs and to increase their contributions to the improvement of the quality of the Nasdaq BX Exchange. The Exchange notes that those participants that are dissatisfied with the New Charges or New Credits are free to shift their order flow to competing venues that offer them lower charges or higher credits. The Proposal is an Equitable Allocation of Credits and Charges The Exchange believes its proposal will allocate its New Credits and New Charges fairly among its market participants. It is equitable for the Exchange to increase its credits to participants whose orders remove liquidity from the Exchange as a means of incentivizing increased liquidity removal activity. Likewise, it is equitable for the Exchange to reduce charges to participants whose orders add liquidity to the Exchange as a means of incentivizing liquidity adding activity. An increase in overall liquidity removal and addition activity on the Exchange will improve the quality of the Nasdaq BX market and increase its attractiveness to existing and prospective participants. Likewise, it is equitable for the Exchange to specifically increase credits for orders that remove liquidity from the Exchange in Tape C as a means of increasing liquidity removal activity in that Tape, and to specifically lower overall charges for orders that add liquidity to the Exchange in Tapes A and B as a means of increasing liquidity adding activity in Tapes A and B. Again, the Exchange intends for these changes 12 See n. 10, supra. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:30 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 250001 to improve the overall quality and attractiveness of the Nasdaq BX market. For similar reasons, the Exchange believes that it is equitable to increase the discounts it offers to members that qualify as QMMs if such members, in turn, increase the extent of their market improving behavior by quoting at the NBBO for a larger number of securities than is required now and by adding a higher percentage of total Consolidated Volume. Although under the proposal, certain market participants will pay higher charges or attain lower credits than they do now, those participants will also benefit from any improvements in the quality and attractiveness of the market that the New Credits and New Charges and amended QMM program will provide. Moreover, any participant that wishes to avoid paying higher charges or receiving lower credits is free to shift their order flow to competing venues that provide more favorable pricing. because these participants will also benefit from improvements in market quality. Moreover, any participant that does not wish to pay higher charges or receive lower credits is free to shift its order flow to a competing venue. Finally, the Exchange believes that its proposed amendments to its QMM program are not unfairly discriminatory because the new program will be available to any member that chooses to meet its requirements. The Exchange notes that none of its members will be affected directly by the proposed amendments insofar as no member currently qualifies as a QMM under the existing program. The Proposed Fee is not Unfairly Discriminatory The Exchange believes that the proposal is not unfairly discriminatory. As an initial matter, the Exchange believes that nothing about its volumebased tiered pricing model is inherently unfair; instead, it is a rational pricing model that is well-established and ubiquitous in today’s economy among firms in various industries—from cobranded credit cards to grocery stores to cellular telephone data plans—that use it to reward the loyalty of their best customers that provide high levels of business activity and incent other customers to increase the extent of their business activity. It is also a pricing model that the Exchange and its competitors have long employed with the assent of the Commission. It is fair because it incentivizes customer activity that increases liquidity, enhances price discovery, and improves the overall quality of the equity markets. The Exchange intends for its proposal to improve market quality for all members on the Exchange and by extension attract more liquidity to the market, improving market wide quality and price discovery. Although net removers of liquidity in Tape C and net adders of liquidity in Tapes A and B will benefit most from the proposal, this result is fair insofar as increased activity in securities in these Tapes will help to improve market quality and the attractiveness of the Nasdaq BX market to all existing and prospective participants. And although certain participants will bear the costs of the proposed rule change through higher charges or lower credits, this too is fair Intramarket Competition The Exchange does not believe that its proposal will place any category of Exchange participant at a competitive disadvantage. As noted above, all members of the Exchange will benefit from any increase in market activity that the proposal effectuates. Members may grow or modify their businesses so that they can receive the higher credits or pay lower charges. Moreover, members are free to trade on other venues to the extent they believe that the fees assessed and credits provided are not attractive. As one can observe by looking at any market share chart, price competition between exchanges is fierce, with liquidity and market share moving freely between exchanges in reaction to fee and credit changes. The Exchange notes that the tier structure is consistent with broker-dealer fee practices as well as the other industries, as described above. PO 00000 Frm 00097 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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 necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. Intermarket Competition Addressing whether the proposed fee could impose a burden on competition on other SROs that is not necessary or appropriate, the Exchange believes that its proposed modifications to its schedule of credits and charges will not impose a burden on competition because the Exchange’s execution services are completely voluntary and subject to extensive competition both from the other 12 live exchanges and from off-exchange venues, which include 32 alternative trading systems. The Exchange notes that it operates in a highly competitive market in which market participants can readily favor competing venues if they deem fee E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices levels at a particular venue to be excessive, or rebate opportunities available at other venues to be more favorable. In such an environment, the Exchange must continually adjust its fees to remain competitive with other exchanges and with alternative trading systems that have been exempted from compliance with the statutory standards applicable to exchanges. Because competitors are free to modify their own fees in response, and because market participants may readily adjust their order routing practices, the Exchange believes that the degree to which fee changes in this market may impose any burden on competition is extremely limited. The proposed restated schedule of credits and charges is reflective of this competition because, as a threshold issue, the Exchange is a relatively small market so its ability to burden intermarket competition is limited. In this regard, even the largest U.S. equities exchange by volume has less than 20% market share, which in most markets could hardly be categorized as having enough market power to burden competition. Moreover, as noted above, price competition between exchanges is fierce, with liquidity and market share moving freely between exchanges in reaction to fee and credit changes. This is in addition to free flow of order flow to and among off-exchange venues which comprised more than 37% of industry volume for the month of July 2019. The Exchange intends for the proposed changes to its schedule of fees and credits, in the aggregate, to increase member incentives to engage in the removal and addition of liquidity on the Exchange. Similarly, the Exchange intends for its proposal to amend its QMM Program to increase incentives for members to improve the market by quoting at the NBBO meaningfully in a large number of securities and by adding a significant amount of liquidity. These changes are procompetitive and reflective of the Exchange’s efforts to make it an attractive and vibrant venue to market participants. In sum, if the changes proposed herein are unattractive to market participants, it is likely that the Exchange will lose market share as a result. Accordingly, the Exchange does not believe that the proposed changes will impair the ability of members or competing order execution venues to maintain their competitive standing in the financial markets. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:30 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 250001 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.13 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: (i) Necessary or appropriate in the public interest; (ii) for the protection of investors; or (iii) 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: 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– BX–2019–045 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–BX–2019–045. 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 website (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 website 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. Persons submitting comments are cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying information from comment submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR–BX–2019–045 and should be submitted on or before January 10, 2020. For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.14 J. Matthew DeLesDernier, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2019–27456 Filed 12–19–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34–87753; File No. SR–GEMX– 2019–19] Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq GEMX, LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Options 3, Section 3 (Minimum Trading Increments) December 16, 2019. 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 December 12, 2019, Nasdaq GEMX, LLC (‘‘GEMX’’ 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 amend Options 3, Section 3 (Minimum Trading 14 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 2 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 1 15 13 15 PO 00000 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii). Frm 00098 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 70243 E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70239-70243]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27456]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-87760; File No. SR-BX-2019-045]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing 
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change to the Exchange's 
Transaction Fees and Credits and Qualified Market Maker Program, at 
Equity 7, Section 118

December 16, 2019.
    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 December 11, 2019, Nasdaq BX, Inc. (``BX'' 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.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to amend: (i) The Exchange's transaction fees 
and credits, at Equity 7, Section 118(a); and (ii) its Qualified Market 
Maker Program, at Equity 7, Section 118(f), as described further below.
    The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's 
website at https://nasdaqbx.cchwallstreet.com/, at the principal office 
of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.

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

    In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements 
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in 
sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant 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 operates on the ``taker-maker'' model, whereby it 
generally pays credits to members that take liquidity and charges fees 
to members that provide liquidity. Currently, the Exchange has a 
schedule, at Equity 7, Section 118(a), which consists of several 
different credits that it provides for orders in securities priced at 
$1 or more per share that access liquidity on the Exchange and several 
different charges that it assesses for orders in such securities that 
add liquidity on the Exchange. It also has a program, at Equity 7, 
Section 118(f), to reward those of its members that make significant 
contributions to the market.
    Over the course of the last few months, the Exchange has 
experimented with various reformulations of its pricing schedule with 
the aim of increasing activity on the Exchange, improving market 
quality, and increasing market share.\3\ Although these changes have 
met with some success, the Exchange has yet to achieve the results it 
desires. Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to again restate its 
pricing schedule, in large part, in a further attempt to improve the 
attractiveness of the market to new and existing participants.
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    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34-87271 (October 
10, 2019), 84 FR 55621 (October 17, 2019) (SR-BX-2019-035); 
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34-87093 (September 24, 2019), 
84 FR 57530 (October 25, 2019) (SR-BX-2019-031); Securities Exchange 
Act Release No. 34-86447 (July 24, 2019); 84 FR 36989 (July 30, 
2019) (SR-BX-2019-026); Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34-85912 
(May 22, 2019); 84 FR 24834 (May 29, 2019) (SR-BX-2019-013).
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Description of the Changes
Credits for Accessing Liquidity Through the Exchange
    The Exchange proposes to eliminate its schedule of existing credits 
(except as described below) and replace it with a new schedule of 
credits for orders in securities that remove liquidity from the 
Exchange (the ``New Credits''). Generally speaking, the proposed New 
Credits will be higher than the existing credits for orders in Tape C 
and lower than the existing credits for orders in securities in Tapes A 
and B.\4\ The proposed New Credits for orders in securities in all 
Tapes also will no longer be tied to threshold levels of liquidity 
removal activity in securities in Tape C. The Exchange believes that 
higher overall credits for orders in securities in Tape C will 
incentivize members to increase their liquidity removal activity in 
securities in Tape C. Meanwhile, eliminating the Tape C removal 
activity requirement from the qualifying criteria for credits for 
orders in securities in all Tapes will render those credits easier for 
members to attain, even as the amounts of those credits decrease for 
securities in Tapes A and B.
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    \4\ Whereas the highest credit under the existing schedule (for 
a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily 
volume of 50,000 shares in a month) is $0.0031 per share executed 
for orders in securities in Tapes A and B and the lowest credit is 
$0.0018 per share executed, the top such credit in the proposed 
schedule will be $0.0029 per share executed and the lowest credit 
will be $0.0015 per share executed. And whereas the highest credit 
under the existing schedule (for a member that adds liquidity equal 
to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month) 
is $0.0017 per share executed for orders in securities in Tape C and 
the lowest credit is $0.0005 per share executed, the top such credit 
in the proposed schedule will be $0.0028 per share executed and the 
lowest will be $0.0014 per share executed.
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    Specifically, the Exchange proposes to adopt the following New 
Credits:
     A $0.0029 per share executed credit for orders in 
securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0028 per share executed credit for 
orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders 
with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price 
improvement and execute against an order with a

[[Page 70240]]

Non-displayed price) entered by a member: (i) Whose combined liquidity 
removing and adding activities equal to or exceed 0.225% of total 
Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds liquidity equal to or 
exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month.
     A $0.0026 per share executed credit for orders in 
securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0025 per share executed credit for 
orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders 
with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price 
improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) 
entered by a member that: (i) Accesses liquidity equal to or exceeding 
0.08% of total Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds 
liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 
shares in a month.
     A $0.0021 per share executed credit for orders in 
securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0020 per share executed credit for 
orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders 
with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price 
improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) 
entered by a member that: (i) Accesses liquidity equal to or exceeding 
0.05% of total Consolidated Volume during a month; and (ii) adds 
liquidity equal to or exceeding an average daily volume of 50,000 
shares in a month.
     A $0.0015 per share executed credit for orders in 
securities in Tapes A and B and a $0.0014 per share executed credit for 
orders in securities in Tape C that access liquidity (excluding orders 
with Midpoint pegging and excluding orders that receive price 
improvement and execute against an order with a Non-displayed price) 
entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding an 
average daily volume of 50,000 shares in a month.
    As noted above, the proposed New Credits will not supplant all of 
the existing provisions. Instead, the Exchange proposes that the 
following existing provisions will continue to apply to orders in 
securities in all Tapes:
     $0.0000 per share executed for an order that receives 
price improvement and executes against an order with a Non-displayed 
price; and
     $0.0000 per share executed for an order with Midpoint 
pegging that removes liquidity.
    The Exchange also proposes to continue charging a fee for orders in 
securities in any Tape (excluding an order with midpoint pegging and 
excluding an order that receives price improvement and executes against 
an order with a non-displayed price) that removes liquidity from the 
Exchange and that is entered by a member that does not add at least an 
average daily volume of 50,000 shares to the Exchange during a month. 
However, the Exchange proposes to increase that fee for orders in 
securities in all Tapes from $0.0005 to $0.0007 per share executed.
Charges for Adding Liquidity to the Exchange
    In addition to the above, the Exchange proposes to replace its 
existing schedule of charges for adding displayed liquidity to the 
Exchange (the ``New Charges''). Generally speaking, the range of the 
proposed New Charges will be lower than the existing charges for orders 
in Tapes A and B and higher for orders in Tape C.\5\ The proposed New 
Charges for displayed orders in securities in Tapes A and B also will 
no longer be tied to threshold levels of liquidity adding activity in 
securities in Tape B and the proposed New Charges for displayed orders 
in securities in Tape C will no longer be tied to threshold levels of 
liquidity adding activity in securities in Tape C. The Exchange 
believes that lower overall charges for orders in securities in Tapes A 
and B will incentivize members to increase their liquidity adding 
activity in securities in Tapes A and B. Higher charges for orders that 
add liquidity in Tape C will help to offset the costs of providing 
higher credits to members with orders in securities in Tape C that 
remove liquidity from the Exchange.
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    \5\ Whereas under the existing pricing schedule, the Exchange 
charges between $0.0025 and $0.0029 per share executed for displayed 
orders in securities in Tapes A and B, and between $0.0012 and 
$0.0017 per share executed for displayed orders in securities in 
Tape C, that add liquidity to the Exchange equal to or exceeding 
certain volume thresholds each month, the proposed schedule will 
charge fees for such displayed orders in securities in all three 
Tapes ranging from $0.0024 to $0.0028 per share executed.
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    Specifically, the Exchange proposes to delete all of the existing 
charges for providing liquidity in displayed orders through the 
Exchange (except as provided below) and replace them with the following 
New Charges:
     A $0.0024 per share executed charge for displayed orders 
entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.25% of 
total Consolidated Volume during a month.
     A $0.0026 per share executed charge for displayed orders 
entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.15% of 
total Consolidated Volume during a month.
     A $0.0028 per share executed charge for displayed orders 
entered by a member that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.07% of 
total Consolidated Volume during a month.
     Although the Exchange will continue to charge $0.0030 per 
share executed for all other orders in securities in Tapes A and B, it 
will increase its charge for all other orders in securities in Tape C 
from $0.0020 to $0.0030 per share executed.
    The Exchange proposes that following existing charges will continue 
to apply to orders in securities in all Tapes:
     A $0.0005 per share executed charge for orders with 
Midpoint pegging entered by a member that adds 0.02% of total 
Consolidated Volume of non-displayed liquidity excluding a buy (sell) 
order that receives an execution price that is lower (higher) than the 
midpoint of the NBBO.
     A $0.0015 per share executed charge for orders with 
Midpoint pegging entered by other member excluding a buy (sell) order 
that receives an execution price that is lower (higher) than the 
midpoint of the NBBO.
     A $0.0030 per share executed charge for a buy (sell) order 
with Midpoint pegging entered by a member that receives an execution 
price that is lower (higher) than the midpoint of the NBBO.
     A $0.0028 per share executed charge for non-displayed 
orders (other than orders with Midpoint pegging) entered by a member 
that adds liquidity equal to or exceeding 0.25% total Consolidated 
Volume during a month.
     A $0.0030 per share executed charge for all other non-
displayed orders.
     Charges for entering BSTG, BSCN, BMOP, BTFY, BCRT, BDRK, 
BCST, and SCAR orders that execute in a venue other than the Nasdaq BX 
Equities System.
Changes to Qualified Market Maker Program
    The Exchange presently has a Qualified Market Maker (``QMM'') 
program, at Equity 7, Section 118(f), which rewards members that make 
significant contributions to market quality by providing liquidity at 
the national best bid and offer (``NBBO'') in a large number of 
securities for a significant portion of the day. In particular, the 
existing QMM program provides a member with a reduced transaction fee 
of $0.0016 per share executed for all of its displayed orders in 
securities priced at $1 or more if the member: (i) Quotes at the NBBO 
at least 25% of the time during market hours in an average of at least 
400 securities per day during a month; and (ii) provides

[[Page 70241]]

add volume during a month of at least 0.125% of total Consolidated 
Volume.
    The Exchange now proposes to replace the existing QMM program with 
one that will provide QMMs with two tiers of discounts off of their 
regular fees for displayed orders priced at $1 or more that add 
liquidity to the Exchange. The amount of the new discounts will vary 
depending upon the number of securities in which the QMM quotes at the 
NBBO and the extent to which the QMM adds liquidity as a percentage of 
total Consolidated Volume. First, if a QMM quotes at the NBBO at least 
25% of the time during market hours in an average of at least 400 
securities per day, and if it provides add volume of at least 0.07% of 
total Consolidated Volume during a month, then the QMM will be entitled 
to receive a discount of $0.0001 per share executed. Second, if a QMM 
quotes at the NBBO at least 25% of the time during market hours in an 
average of at least 750 securities per day, and if it provides add 
volume of at least 0.15% of total Consolidated Volume during a month, 
then the QMM will be entitled to receive a discount of $0.0002 per 
share executed. These discounts will not be cumulative. The Exchange 
intends for its new QMM program to provide greater incentives to 
members to increase their contributions to market quality.
Applicability to and Impact on Participants
    The proposed rule change is a broad restatement of the Exchange's 
schedule of credits and charges. The Exchange has designed the restated 
schedule to specifically increase liquidity removal activity on the 
Exchange for orders in securities in Tape C, to increase liquidity 
adding activity in Tapes A and B, and to thereby improve the overall 
quality and attractiveness of the Nasdaq BX market. The Exchange 
intends to accomplish this objective by providing overall higher 
credits to those participants that engage in large volumes of liquidity 
removal activity on the Exchange in securities in Tape C and by 
charging lower overall fees to those participants that add liquidity to 
the Exchange in securities in Tapes A and B. The Exchange also intends 
to provide greater incentives to members to act as QMMs and to 
contribute significantly to the improvement of the market.
    Those participants that act as net removers of liquidity from the 
Exchange in securities in Tape C will benefit directly from the 
proposed rule change through the receipts of higher credits. Those 
participants that act as net adders of liquidity to the Exchange in 
securities in Tapes A and B will also benefit from lower charges and 
indirectly from any improvement in the overall quality of the market. 
However, net liquidity adders in securities in Tape C and net removers 
of liquidity in securities in Tapes A and B will bear the costs of 
these proposals. The Exchange notes that its proposal is not otherwise 
targeted at or expected to be limited in its applicability to a 
specific segment(s) of market participants nor will it apply 
differently to different types of market participants.
    Members will not be impacted directly by the replacement of the 
existing QMM program because no member currently qualifies for that 
program.
2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that its proposal is consistent with Section 
6(b) of the Act,\6\ in general, and furthers the objectives of Sections 
6(b)(4) and 6(b)(5) of the Act,\7\ in particular, in that it provides 
for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and other charges 
among members and issuers and other persons using any facility, and is 
not designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, 
issuers, brokers, or dealers. The proposal is also consistent with 
Section 11A of the Act relating to the establishment of the national 
market system for securities.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4) and (5).
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The Proposal is Reasonable
    The Exchange's proposed change to its schedule of credits and 
charges is reasonable in several respects. As a threshold matter, the 
Exchange is subject to significant competitive forces in the market for 
equity securities transaction services that constrain its pricing 
determinations in that market. The fact that this market is competitive 
has long been recognized by the courts. In NetCoalition v. Securities 
and Exchange Commission, the D.C. Circuit stated as follows: ``[n]o one 
disputes that competition for order flow is `fierce.' . . . As the SEC 
explained, `[i]n the U.S. national market system, buyers and sellers of 
securities, and the broker-dealers that act as their order-routing 
agents, have a wide range of choices of where to route orders for 
execution'; [and] `no exchange can afford to take its market share 
percentages for granted' because `no exchange possesses a monopoly, 
regulatory or otherwise, in the execution of order flow from broker 
dealers'. . . .'' \8\
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    \8\ NetCoalition v. SEC, 615 F.3d 525, 539 (D.C. Cir. 2010) 
(quoting Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59039 (December 2, 
2008), 73 FR 74770, 74782-83 (December 9, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2006-
21)).
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    The Commission and the courts have repeatedly expressed their 
preference for competition over regulatory intervention in determining 
prices, products, and services in the securities markets. In Regulation 
NMS, while adopting a series of steps to improve the current market 
model, the Commission highlighted the importance of market forces in 
determining prices and SRO revenues and, also, recognized that current 
regulation of the market system ``has been remarkably successful in 
promoting market competition in its broader forms that are most 
important to investors and listed companies.'' \9\
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    \9\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9, 2005), 70 
FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005) (``Regulation NMS Adopting 
Release'').
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    Numerous indicia demonstrate the competitive nature of this market. 
For example, clear substitutes to the Exchange exist in the market for 
equity security transaction services. The Exchange is only one of 
several equity venues to which market participants may direct their 
order flow, and it represents a small percentage of the overall market. 
It is also only one of several taker-maker exchanges. Competing equity 
exchanges offer similar tiered pricing structures to that of the 
Exchange, including schedules of rebates and fees that apply based upon 
members achieving certain volume thresholds.\10\
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    \10\ CBOE EDGA provides a standard rebate for liquidity removers 
of $0.00180 per share executed (or between $0.0022 and $0.0028 per 
share executed if a member qualifies for a volume tier), and a 
standard charge of $0.0030 per share executed for liquidity adders 
(or between $0.0022 and $0.0026 if a member qualifies for a volume 
tier). NYSE National has a standard charge of $0.0005 per share 
executed for liquidity removers ($0.0025 and $0.0030 rebate if a 
member qualifies for a volume tier) and a standard charge of $0.0028 
per share executed for liquidity adders (and a range of charges from 
$0.0020-$0.0026 if a member qualifies for a volume tier).
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    Within this environment, market participants can freely and often 
do shift their order flow among the Exchange and competing venues in 
response to changes in their respective pricing schedules.\11\ 
Separately, the Exchange has provided the SEC staff with multiple 
examples of instances where

[[Page 70242]]

pricing changes by BX and other exchanges have resulted in shifts in 
exchange market share. Within the foregoing context, the proposal 
represents a reasonable attempt by the Exchange to increase its 
liquidity and market share relative to its competitors.
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    \11\ The Exchange perceives no regulatory, structural, or cost 
impediments to market participants shifting order flow away from it. 
In particular, the Exchange notes that these examples of shifts in 
liquidity and market share, along with many others, have occurred 
within the context of market participants' existing duties of Best 
Execution and obligations under the Order Protection Rule under 
Regulation NMS.
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    The Exchange has designed its proposed schedule of credits and 
charges to provide increased overall incentives to members to increase 
their liquidity removal and adding activity on the Exchange. An 
increase in liquidity removal and adding activity on the Exchange will, 
in turn, improve the quality of the Nasdaq BX market and increase its 
attractiveness to existing and prospective participants. Generally, the 
proposed New Credits and Charges will be comparable to, if not 
favorable to, those that its competitors provide.\12\
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    \12\ See n. 10, supra.
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    Moreover, the Exchange believes that it is reasonable to bolster 
its QMM program as a means of incentivizing members to act as QMMs and 
to increase their contributions to the improvement of the quality of 
the Nasdaq BX Exchange.
    The Exchange notes that those participants that are dissatisfied 
with the New Charges or New Credits are free to shift their order flow 
to competing venues that offer them lower charges or higher credits.
The Proposal is an Equitable Allocation of Credits and Charges
    The Exchange believes its proposal will allocate its New Credits 
and New Charges fairly among its market participants. It is equitable 
for the Exchange to increase its credits to participants whose orders 
remove liquidity from the Exchange as a means of incentivizing 
increased liquidity removal activity. Likewise, it is equitable for the 
Exchange to reduce charges to participants whose orders add liquidity 
to the Exchange as a means of incentivizing liquidity adding activity. 
An increase in overall liquidity removal and addition activity on the 
Exchange will improve the quality of the Nasdaq BX market and increase 
its attractiveness to existing and prospective participants.
    Likewise, it is equitable for the Exchange to specifically increase 
credits for orders that remove liquidity from the Exchange in Tape C as 
a means of increasing liquidity removal activity in that Tape, and to 
specifically lower overall charges for orders that add liquidity to the 
Exchange in Tapes A and B as a means of increasing liquidity adding 
activity in Tapes A and B. Again, the Exchange intends for these 
changes to improve the overall quality and attractiveness of the Nasdaq 
BX market.
    For similar reasons, the Exchange believes that it is equitable to 
increase the discounts it offers to members that qualify as QMMs if 
such members, in turn, increase the extent of their market improving 
behavior by quoting at the NBBO for a larger number of securities than 
is required now and by adding a higher percentage of total Consolidated 
Volume.
    Although under the proposal, certain market participants will pay 
higher charges or attain lower credits than they do now, those 
participants will also benefit from any improvements in the quality and 
attractiveness of the market that the New Credits and New Charges and 
amended QMM program will provide. Moreover, any participant that wishes 
to avoid paying higher charges or receiving lower credits is free to 
shift their order flow to competing venues that provide more favorable 
pricing.
The Proposed Fee is not Unfairly Discriminatory
    The Exchange believes that the proposal is not unfairly 
discriminatory. As an initial matter, the Exchange believes that 
nothing about its volume-based tiered pricing model is inherently 
unfair; instead, it is a rational pricing model that is well-
established and ubiquitous in today's economy among firms in various 
industries--from co-branded credit cards to grocery stores to cellular 
telephone data plans--that use it to reward the loyalty of their best 
customers that provide high levels of business activity and incent 
other customers to increase the extent of their business activity. It 
is also a pricing model that the Exchange and its competitors have long 
employed with the assent of the Commission. It is fair because it 
incentivizes customer activity that increases liquidity, enhances price 
discovery, and improves the overall quality of the equity markets.
    The Exchange intends for its proposal to improve market quality for 
all members on the Exchange and by extension attract more liquidity to 
the market, improving market wide quality and price discovery. Although 
net removers of liquidity in Tape C and net adders of liquidity in 
Tapes A and B will benefit most from the proposal, this result is fair 
insofar as increased activity in securities in these Tapes will help to 
improve market quality and the attractiveness of the Nasdaq BX market 
to all existing and prospective participants. And although certain 
participants will bear the costs of the proposed rule change through 
higher charges or lower credits, this too is fair because these 
participants will also benefit from improvements in market quality. 
Moreover, any participant that does not wish to pay higher charges or 
receive lower credits is free to shift its order flow to a competing 
venue.
    Finally, the Exchange believes that its proposed amendments to its 
QMM program are not unfairly discriminatory because the new program 
will be available to any member that chooses to meet its requirements. 
The Exchange notes that none of its members will be affected directly 
by the proposed amendments insofar as no member currently qualifies as 
a QMM under the existing program.

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 necessary or appropriate in 
furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
Intramarket Competition
    The Exchange does not believe that its proposal will place any 
category of Exchange participant at a competitive disadvantage. As 
noted above, all members of the Exchange will benefit from any increase 
in market activity that the proposal effectuates. Members may grow or 
modify their businesses so that they can receive the higher credits or 
pay lower charges. Moreover, members are free to trade on other venues 
to the extent they believe that the fees assessed and credits provided 
are not attractive. As one can observe by looking at any market share 
chart, price competition between exchanges is fierce, with liquidity 
and market share moving freely between exchanges in reaction to fee and 
credit changes. The Exchange notes that the tier structure is 
consistent with broker-dealer fee practices as well as the other 
industries, as described above.
Intermarket Competition
    Addressing whether the proposed fee could impose a burden on 
competition on other SROs that is not necessary or appropriate, the 
Exchange believes that its proposed modifications to its schedule of 
credits and charges will not impose a burden on competition because the 
Exchange's execution services are completely voluntary and subject to 
extensive competition both from the other 12 live exchanges and from 
off-exchange venues, which include 32 alternative trading systems. The 
Exchange notes that it operates in a highly competitive market in which 
market participants can readily favor competing venues if they deem fee

[[Page 70243]]

levels at a particular venue to be excessive, or rebate opportunities 
available at other venues to be more favorable. In such an environment, 
the Exchange must continually adjust its fees to remain competitive 
with other exchanges and with alternative trading systems that have 
been exempted from compliance with the statutory standards applicable 
to exchanges. Because competitors are free to modify their own fees in 
response, and because market participants may readily adjust their 
order routing practices, the Exchange believes that the degree to which 
fee changes in this market may impose any burden on competition is 
extremely limited.
    The proposed restated schedule of credits and charges is reflective 
of this competition because, as a threshold issue, the Exchange is a 
relatively small market so its ability to burden intermarket 
competition is limited. In this regard, even the largest U.S. equities 
exchange by volume has less than 20% market share, which in most 
markets could hardly be categorized as having enough market power to 
burden competition. Moreover, as noted above, price competition between 
exchanges is fierce, with liquidity and market share moving freely 
between exchanges in reaction to fee and credit changes. This is in 
addition to free flow of order flow to and among off-exchange venues 
which comprised more than 37% of industry volume for the month of July 
2019.
    The Exchange intends for the proposed changes to its schedule of 
fees and credits, in the aggregate, to increase member incentives to 
engage in the removal and addition of liquidity on the Exchange. 
Similarly, the Exchange intends for its proposal to amend its QMM 
Program to increase incentives for members to improve the market by 
quoting at the NBBO meaningfully in a large number of securities and by 
adding a significant amount of liquidity. These changes are 
procompetitive and reflective of the Exchange's efforts to make it an 
attractive and vibrant venue to market participants.
    In sum, if the changes proposed herein are unattractive to market 
participants, it is likely that the Exchange will lose market share as 
a result. Accordingly, the Exchange does not believe that the proposed 
changes will impair the ability of members or competing order execution 
venues to maintain their competitive standing in the financial markets.

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.\13\
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    \13\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
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    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: (i) 
Necessary or appropriate in the public interest; (ii) for the 
protection of investors; or (iii) 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:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-BX-2019-045 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-BX-2019-045. 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 website (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 website 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. Persons submitting comments are 
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying 
information from comment submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions 
should refer to File Number SR-BX-2019-045 and should be submitted on 
or before January 10, 2020.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\14\
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    \14\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-27456 Filed 12-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P

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