Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its Fee Schedule To Add Historical Depth Data Fee, 3462-3464 [2024-00850]
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3462
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2024 / Notices
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. Do not include personal
identifiable information in submissions;
you should submit only information
that you wish to make available
publicly. We may redact in part or
withhold entirely from publication
submitted material that is obscene or
subject to copyright protection. All
submissions should refer to file number
SR–C2–2024–001 and should be
submitted on or before February 8, 2024.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.19
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024–00847 Filed 1–17–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
Release No. 34–99328; File No. SR–
CboeEDGX–2024–008]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe
EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing
and Immediate Effectiveness of a
Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its
Fee Schedule To Add Historical Depth
Data Fee
January 11, 2024.
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 January
10, 2024, Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc.
(the ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘EDGX’’) filed with
the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc. (the
‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘EDGX’’) proposes to
amend its Fee Schedule. The text of the
proposed rule change is provided in
Exhibit 5.
The text of the proposed rule change
is also available on the Exchange’s
website (https://markets.cboe.com/us/
options/regulation/rule_filings/edgx/),
at the Exchange’s Office of the
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
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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
19 17
Secretary, and at the Commission’s
Public Reference Room.
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to amend its
Fee Schedule.3 By way of background,
the Exchange currently makes available
for purchase Depth Data, which is a
daily archive of the Exchange’s depth of
book real-time feed, which provides
depth-of-book quotations and execution
information based on options orders
entered into the System.4 The Exchange
also offers Historical Depth Data, for no
charge, which offers such data on a
historical basis, i.e. T+1 or later, dating
back to October 2019. The Depth Data
and Historical Depth Data are available
to Members and Non-Members on the
Cboe LiveVol, LLC (‘‘LiveVol’’)
website,5 for internal use only; LiveVol
is a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Exchange’s parent company, Cboe
Global Markets, Inc.
The Exchange’s equities platform
(‘‘EDGX Equities’’) and affiliated
equities and options exchanges (i.e.,
Cboe Exchange, Inc. (‘‘Cboe Options’’),
Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (‘‘C2 Options’’),
Cboe BYX Exchange, Inc. (‘‘BYX’’), Cboe
BZX Exchange, Inc. (‘‘BZX’’), and Cboe
EDGA Exchange, Inc. (‘‘EDGA’’)
(collectively, ‘‘Affiliates’’) also offer
similar data products. Particularly, each
of the Exchange’s Affiliates offer a daily
and historical archive of their depth of
book real-time feed with execution
information based on their trading
3 The Exchange initially filed the proposed fee
changes on January 2, 2024 (SR–CboeEDGX–2024–
003). On January 10, 2024, the Exchange withdrew
that filing and submitted SR–CboeEDGX–2024–008.
4 See Exchange Fee Schedule. Daily end-of-day
delivery is provided via the DataShop SFTP. Files
will typically become available after 8pm ET; see
also Exchange Rule 1.5, which defines ‘‘System.’’
5 See https://datashop.cboe.com/cboe-us-optionsmulticast-pitch.
PO 00000
Frm 00093
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
activity that is substantially similar to
the information provided by the
Exchange through its Depth Data
products.
Currently, the Exchange provides
Historical Depth Data to users without
a charge. Since the Exchange first began
offering access to historical quotation
and transactions data, the Exchange has
made a number of significant
enhancements to its platform, including,
among other things, implementing a
more efficient means of data delivery
(via SFTP rather than shipment of hard
drives), which consequently increases
the value of the market data product.
The Exchange now proposes to amend
its Fee Schedule and assess a fee of $500
per month of Historical Depth Data
accessed by a user. As is currently the
case, the data will be provided to data
recipients for internal use only, and
thus, no redistribution will be
permitted.
The Exchange notes that the Depth
Data products, including the Historical
Depth Data, are completely voluntary
products, in that the Exchange is not
required by any rule or regulation to
make the reports or services available
and that potential subscribers may
purchase it only if they voluntarily
choose to do so. Further, the Exchange
notes that other exchanges offer similar
products for a fee.6
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change is consistent with the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) and the rules and regulations
thereunder applicable to the Exchange
and, in particular, the requirements of
Section 6(b) of the Act.7 Specifically,
the Exchange believes the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Section
6(b)(5) 8 requirements that the rules of
an exchange be 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 regulating, clearing, settling,
processing information with respect to,
and facilitating transactions in
securities, to remove impediments to
and perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market and a national market
system, and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest.
Additionally, the Exchange believes the
proposed rule change is consistent with
6 See, e.g., https://www.nasdaqtrader.com/
Trader.aspx?id=DPPriceListOptions#nom; and
https://www.nyse.com/publicdocs/nyse/data/
NYSE_Market_Data_Fee_Schedule.pdf.
7 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
8 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
E:\FR\FM\18JAN1.SGM
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khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
the Section 6(b)(5) 9 requirement that
the rules of an exchange not be designed
to permit unfair discrimination between
customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers.
The Exchange also believes the
proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b)(4) of the Act,10 which
requires that Exchange rules provide for
the equitable allocation of reasonable
dues, fees, and other charges among its
Members and other persons using its
facilities.
The Exchange believes the proposed
change to adopt a fee for Historical
Depth Data is reasonable. In adopting
Regulation NMS, the Commission
granted self-regulatory organizations
(‘‘SROs’’) and broker-dealers increased
authority and flexibility to offer new
and unique market data to the public. It
was believed that this authority would
expand the amount of data available to
consumers, and also spur innovation
and competition for the provision of
market data.
The Exchange also operates in a
highly competitive environment.
Indeed, there are currently 17 registered
options exchanges that trade options.
Based on publicly available information,
no single options exchange has more
than 12% of the market share.11 The
Commission has repeatedly expressed
its preference for competition over
regulatory intervention in determining
prices, products, and services in the
securities markets. Particularly, in
Regulation NMS, 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.’’ 12
Making similar data products available
to market participants fosters
competition in the marketplace, and
constrains the ability of exchanges to
charge supracompetitive fees. In the
event that a market participant views
one exchange’s data product as more or
less attractive than the competition they
can and do switch between similar
products. The Exchange believes the
proposed change will continue to
broaden the availability of U.S. option
9 Id.
10 15
U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
Cboe Global Markets U.S. Options Market
Volume Summary (December 18, 2023), available at
https://markets.cboe.com/us/options/market_
statistics/.
12 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808
(June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005)
(‘‘Regulation NMS Adopting Release’’).
11 See
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market data to investors consistent with
the principles of Regulation NMS.
Additionally, the Exchange believes
the proposed changes to the Historical
Depth Data fee are reasonable, as the
Exchange’s Historical Depth Data is a
competitively priced alternative to
historical depth of book data
disseminated by other national
securities exchanges. The Exchange’s
Depth Data products, including
Historical Depth Data, benefits a wide
range of investors that participate in the
national market system. As noted above,
Nasdaq and NYSE have similar Depth
Data offerings for a charge.13 The
Exchange therefore believes that the
proposed fees are reasonable and set at
a level to compete with other exchanges
that offer similar reports. Indeed,
proposing fees that are excessively
higher than established fees for similar
data products would simply serve to
reduce demand for the Exchange’s data
product, which as noted, is entirely
optional. As such, if a market
participant views another exchange’s
potential report as more attractive, then
such market participant can merely
choose not to purchase the Exchange’s
Historical Depth Data offering and
instead purchase another exchange’s
similar data product, which offers
similar data points, albeit based on
other market’s trading activity. Further,
the Exchange believes the fees are
reasonable since, as proposed, they
represent a relatively modest fee for
historical depth of book data that has
proven valuable for investors.
The Exchange also believes that the
proposed fee is reasonable because it is
reasonably aligned with the value and
benefits provided to users that choose to
purchase Historical Depth Data from the
Exchange. As discussed above,
Historical Depth Data may be beneficial
to Members and non-Members as it may
provide helpful trading information
regarding investor sentiment that may
allow market participants to make more
informed trading decisions and may be
used to create and test trading models
and analytical strategies and provide
comprehensive insight into trading on
the Exchange. As noted above, since
first offering Historical Depth Data, the
Exchange has made a number of
significant enhancements to its
platform, including, among other things,
implementing a more efficient means of
data delivery (via SFTP rather than
shipment of hard drives), which
consequently increases the value of the
market data product.
Finally, the Exchange believes that
the proposed change to the Exchange’s
13 See
PO 00000
supra note 5.
Frm 00094
Fmt 4703
Historical Depth Data offerings is
equitable and not unfairly
discriminatory because the change to
the offering applies to all current and
potential subscribers of the products
uniformly, in that all subscribers will be
assessed the new proposed fee for
purchases of Historical Depth Data. As
stated, purchase of Historical Depth
Data is completely optional and not
necessary for trading. Rather, the
Exchange voluntarily makes Historical
Depth Data available, and users may
choose to purchase the data based on
their own individual business needs.
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. As discussed
above, the Exchange’s Historical Depth
Data offering is subject to direct
competition from several other
exchanges that offer similar data
products. The proposed rule changes are
grounded in the Exchange’s efforts to
compete more effectively. In this
competitive environment, potential
purchasers are free to choose which, if
any, similar product to purchase to
satisfy their need for market
information. As a result, the Exchange
believes the proposed rule changes
permit fair competition among national
securities exchanges.
Additionally, the Exchange believes
the proposed rule change does not
impose any burden on intramarket
competition that is not necessary or
appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act. The change to the
Historical Depth Data offering applies to
all current and potential subscribers of
the product uniformly, in that all
subscribers will be assessed the same
fee for subscribing to receive Historical
Depth Data. Moreover, purchase of
Historical Depth Data is optional.
Further, the Exchange also does not
believe that the proposed rule changes
will impose any burden on intermarket
competition that is not necessary or
appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act. As noted above,
other exchanges offer similar data
products, which are similarly priced.14
As previously discussed, the Exchange
operates in a highly competitive market.
Members have numerous alternative
venues that they may participate on and
direct their order flow, including 16
other options exchanges and offexchange venues. Additionally, the
Exchange represents a small percentage
14 See
Sfmt 4703
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supra note 5.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2024 / Notices
of the overall market. Based on publicly
available information, no single options
exchange has more than 12% of the
market share.15 Therefore, no exchange
possesses significant pricing power in
the execution of option order flow.
Indeed, participants can readily choose
to send their orders to other exchange
and off-exchange venues if they deem
fee levels at those other venues to be
more favorable. Moreover, the
Commission has repeatedly expressed
its preference for competition over
regulatory intervention in determining
prices, products, and services in the
securities markets. Specifically, in
Regulation NMS, 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.’’ 16 The
fact that this market is competitive has
also 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
the execution of order flow from broker
dealers’. . . .’’.17 Accordingly, the
Exchange does not believe its proposed
fee change imposes any burden on
competition that is not necessary or
appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor
received comments on the proposed
rule change.
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)
15 See
supra note 10.
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808
(June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005).
17 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)).
16 See
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17:32 Jan 17, 2024
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of the Act 18 and paragraph (f) of Rule
19b–4 19 thereunder. At any time within
60 days of the filing of the proposed rule
change, the Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission will institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
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:
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–
CboeEDGX–2024–008 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–CboeEDGX–2024–008. 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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. Do not include personal
identifiable information in submissions;
you should submit only information
that you wish to make available
publicly. We may redact in part or
withhold entirely from publication
submitted material that is obscene or
subject to copyright protection. All
submissions should refer to file number
SR–CboeEDGX–2024–008 and should be
submitted on or before February 8, 2024.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.20
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024–00850 Filed 1–17–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–99323; File No. SR–NYSE–
2024–02]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its
Price List
January 11, 2024.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that on January 2,
2024, 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, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the selfregulatory 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 to amend its
Price List to (1) extend a fee waiver for
new firm application fees for applicants
seeking only to obtain a bond trading
license (‘‘BTL’’) for 2024; and (2) waive
the BTL fee for 2024. The Exchange
proposes to implement the fee changes
effective January 2, 2024. The proposed
rule change is available on the
Exchange’s website at www.nyse.com, at
the principal office of the Exchange, and
20 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 15 U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
18 15
19 17
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f).
Frm 00095
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E:\FR\FM\18JAN1.SGM
18JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3462-3464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00850]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Release No. 34-99328; File No. SR-CboeEDGX-2024-008]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice
of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To
Amend Its Fee Schedule To Add Historical Depth Data Fee
January 11, 2024.
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 January 10, 2024, Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or
``EDGX'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II,
and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or ``EDGX'') proposes to
amend its Fee Schedule. The text of the proposed rule change is
provided in Exhibit 5.
The text of the proposed rule change is also available on the
Exchange's website (https://markets.cboe.com/us/options/regulation/rule_filings/edgx/), at the Exchange's Office of the Secretary, 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 proposes to amend its Fee Schedule.\3\ By way of
background, the Exchange currently makes available for purchase Depth
Data, which is a daily archive of the Exchange's depth of book real-
time feed, which provides depth-of-book quotations and execution
information based on options orders entered into the System.\4\ The
Exchange also offers Historical Depth Data, for no charge, which offers
such data on a historical basis, i.e. T+1 or later, dating back to
October 2019. The Depth Data and Historical Depth Data are available to
Members and Non-Members on the Cboe LiveVol, LLC (``LiveVol'')
website,\5\ for internal use only; LiveVol is a wholly owned subsidiary
of the Exchange's parent company, Cboe Global Markets, Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Exchange initially filed the proposed fee changes on
January 2, 2024 (SR-CboeEDGX-2024-003). On January 10, 2024, the
Exchange withdrew that filing and submitted SR-CboeEDGX-2024-008.
\4\ See Exchange Fee Schedule. Daily end-of-day delivery is
provided via the DataShop SFTP. Files will typically become
available after 8pm ET; see also Exchange Rule 1.5, which defines
``System.''
\5\ See https://datashop.cboe.com/cboe-us-options-multicast-pitch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange's equities platform (``EDGX Equities'') and affiliated
equities and options exchanges (i.e., Cboe Exchange, Inc. (``Cboe
Options''), Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (``C2 Options''), Cboe BYX Exchange,
Inc. (``BYX''), Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (``BZX''), and Cboe EDGA
Exchange, Inc. (``EDGA'') (collectively, ``Affiliates'') also offer
similar data products. Particularly, each of the Exchange's Affiliates
offer a daily and historical archive of their depth of book real-time
feed with execution information based on their trading activity that is
substantially similar to the information provided by the Exchange
through its Depth Data products.
Currently, the Exchange provides Historical Depth Data to users
without a charge. Since the Exchange first began offering access to
historical quotation and transactions data, the Exchange has made a
number of significant enhancements to its platform, including, among
other things, implementing a more efficient means of data delivery (via
SFTP rather than shipment of hard drives), which consequently increases
the value of the market data product.
The Exchange now proposes to amend its Fee Schedule and assess a
fee of $500 per month of Historical Depth Data accessed by a user. As
is currently the case, the data will be provided to data recipients for
internal use only, and thus, no redistribution will be permitted.
The Exchange notes that the Depth Data products, including the
Historical Depth Data, are completely voluntary products, in that the
Exchange is not required by any rule or regulation to make the reports
or services available and that potential subscribers may purchase it
only if they voluntarily choose to do so. Further, the Exchange notes
that other exchanges offer similar products for a fee.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ See, e.g., https://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=DPPriceListOptions#nom; and https://www.nyse.com/publicdocs/nyse/data/NYSE_Market_Data_Fee_Schedule.pdf.
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2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ``Act'') and the rules and
regulations thereunder applicable to the Exchange and, in particular,
the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act.\7\ Specifically, the
Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the
Section 6(b)(5) \8\ requirements that the rules of an exchange be
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 regulating, clearing,
settling, processing information with respect to, and facilitating
transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the
mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system, and,
in general, to protect investors and the public interest. Additionally,
the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with
[[Page 3463]]
the Section 6(b)(5) \9\ requirement that the rules of an exchange not
be designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers,
brokers, or dealers. The Exchange also believes the proposed rule
change is consistent with Section 6(b)(4) of the Act,\10\ which
requires that Exchange rules provide for the equitable allocation of
reasonable dues, fees, and other charges among its Members and other
persons using its facilities.
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\7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\8\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
\9\ Id.
\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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The Exchange believes the proposed change to adopt a fee for
Historical Depth Data is reasonable. In adopting Regulation NMS, the
Commission granted self-regulatory organizations (``SROs'') and broker-
dealers increased authority and flexibility to offer new and unique
market data to the public. It was believed that this authority would
expand the amount of data available to consumers, and also spur
innovation and competition for the provision of market data.
The Exchange also operates in a highly competitive environment.
Indeed, there are currently 17 registered options exchanges that trade
options. Based on publicly available information, no single options
exchange has more than 12% of the market share.\11\ The Commission has
repeatedly expressed its preference for competition over regulatory
intervention in determining prices, products, and services in the
securities markets. Particularly, in Regulation NMS, 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.'' \12\ Making similar data products available to
market participants fosters competition in the marketplace, and
constrains the ability of exchanges to charge supracompetitive fees. In
the event that a market participant views one exchange's data product
as more or less attractive than the competition they can and do switch
between similar products. The Exchange believes the proposed change
will continue to broaden the availability of U.S. option market data to
investors consistent with the principles of Regulation NMS.
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\11\ See Cboe Global Markets U.S. Options Market Volume Summary
(December 18, 2023), available at https://markets.cboe.com/us/options/market_statistics/.
\12\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9,
2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005) (``Regulation NMS Adopting
Release'').
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Additionally, the Exchange believes the proposed changes to the
Historical Depth Data fee are reasonable, as the Exchange's Historical
Depth Data is a competitively priced alternative to historical depth of
book data disseminated by other national securities exchanges. The
Exchange's Depth Data products, including Historical Depth Data,
benefits a wide range of investors that participate in the national
market system. As noted above, Nasdaq and NYSE have similar Depth Data
offerings for a charge.\13\ The Exchange therefore believes that the
proposed fees are reasonable and set at a level to compete with other
exchanges that offer similar reports. Indeed, proposing fees that are
excessively higher than established fees for similar data products
would simply serve to reduce demand for the Exchange's data product,
which as noted, is entirely optional. As such, if a market participant
views another exchange's potential report as more attractive, then such
market participant can merely choose not to purchase the Exchange's
Historical Depth Data offering and instead purchase another exchange's
similar data product, which offers similar data points, albeit based on
other market's trading activity. Further, the Exchange believes the
fees are reasonable since, as proposed, they represent a relatively
modest fee for historical depth of book data that has proven valuable
for investors.
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\13\ See supra note 5.
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The Exchange also believes that the proposed fee is reasonable
because it is reasonably aligned with the value and benefits provided
to users that choose to purchase Historical Depth Data from the
Exchange. As discussed above, Historical Depth Data may be beneficial
to Members and non-Members as it may provide helpful trading
information regarding investor sentiment that may allow market
participants to make more informed trading decisions and may be used to
create and test trading models and analytical strategies and provide
comprehensive insight into trading on the Exchange. As noted above,
since first offering Historical Depth Data, the Exchange has made a
number of significant enhancements to its platform, including, among
other things, implementing a more efficient means of data delivery (via
SFTP rather than shipment of hard drives), which consequently increases
the value of the market data product.
Finally, the Exchange believes that the proposed change to the
Exchange's Historical Depth Data offerings is equitable and not
unfairly discriminatory because the change to the offering applies to
all current and potential subscribers of the products uniformly, in
that all subscribers will be assessed the new proposed fee for
purchases of Historical Depth Data. As stated, purchase of Historical
Depth Data is completely optional and not necessary for trading.
Rather, the Exchange voluntarily makes Historical Depth Data available,
and users may choose to purchase the data based on their own individual
business needs.
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. As discussed above, the
Exchange's Historical Depth Data offering is subject to direct
competition from several other exchanges that offer similar data
products. The proposed rule changes are grounded in the Exchange's
efforts to compete more effectively. In this competitive environment,
potential purchasers are free to choose which, if any, similar product
to purchase to satisfy their need for market information. As a result,
the Exchange believes the proposed rule changes permit fair competition
among national securities exchanges.
Additionally, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change does
not impose any burden on intramarket competition that is not necessary
or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The change to
the Historical Depth Data offering applies to all current and potential
subscribers of the product uniformly, in that all subscribers will be
assessed the same fee for subscribing to receive Historical Depth Data.
Moreover, purchase of Historical Depth Data is optional.
Further, the Exchange also does not believe that the proposed rule
changes will impose any burden on intermarket competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. As
noted above, other exchanges offer similar data products, which are
similarly priced.\14\ As previously discussed, the Exchange operates in
a highly competitive market. Members have numerous alternative venues
that they may participate on and direct their order flow, including 16
other options exchanges and off-exchange venues. Additionally, the
Exchange represents a small percentage
[[Page 3464]]
of the overall market. Based on publicly available information, no
single options exchange has more than 12% of the market share.\15\
Therefore, no exchange possesses significant pricing power in the
execution of option order flow. Indeed, participants can readily choose
to send their orders to other exchange and off-exchange venues if they
deem fee levels at those other venues to be more favorable. Moreover,
the Commission has repeatedly expressed its preference for competition
over regulatory intervention in determining prices, products, and
services in the securities markets. Specifically, in Regulation NMS,
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.'' \16\ The fact that this
market is competitive has also 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'. . . .''.\17\ Accordingly, the Exchange
does not believe its proposed fee change imposes any burden on
competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act.
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\14\ See supra note 5.
\15\ See supra note 10.
\16\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9,
2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005).
\17\ 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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C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor received comments on the
proposed rule change.
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) of the Act \18\ and paragraph (f) of Rule 19b-4 \19\
thereunder. At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed
rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission
takes such action, the Commission will institute proceedings to
determine whether the proposed rule change should be approved or
disapproved.
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\18\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
\19\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to [email protected]. Please include
file number SR-CboeEDGX-2024-008 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-CboeEDGX-2024-008. 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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. Do not
include personal identifiable information in submissions; you should
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. We
may redact in part or withhold entirely from publication submitted
material that is obscene or subject to copyright protection. All
submissions should refer to file number SR-CboeEDGX-2024-008 and should
be submitted on or before February 8, 2024.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\20\
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\20\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-00850 Filed 1-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P