Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend the NYSE Arca Equities Fees and Charges, 13117-13122 [2024-03453]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 21, 2024 / Notices
` R.L., Barings SLA 6 LLC,
Loans 6 S.A
Barings SS4 (LUX) LLC, Barings
Umbrella Fund (LUX)—Barings Global
Special Situations Credit Fund 4 (LUX)
Fund, Barings Global Special Situations
` R.L., Barings Global
Credit 4 (LUX) S.A
Credit Fund (LUX)—Barings Global
Special Situations Credit Fund 3,
Barings Global Special Situations Credit
` R.L., Barings Global Umbrella
3 S.A
Fund—Barings Developed and Emerging
Markets High Yield Bond Fund,
Barings—MM Revolver Fund LP,
Barings North American Private Loan
Fund (Cayman)-A, L.P., Barings North
American Private Loan Fund, L.P.,
Barings North American Private Loan
Fund (Cayman), LP, Barings Small
Business Fund, L.P., Barings Middle
Market CLO Ltd. 2017–I, Barings CLO
Ltd. 2018–I, Barings CLO Ltd. 2018–II,
Barings CLO Ltd. 2018–III, Barings CLO
Ltd. 2018–IV, Barings Middle Market
CLO Ltd. 2018–I, Barings CLO Ltd.
2019–I, Barings CLO Ltd. 2019–II,
Barings CLO Ltd. 2019–III, Barings
Middle Market CLO Ltd. 2019–I, Barings
CLO Ltd. 2020–1, Barings CLO Ltd.
2020–IV, Barings CLO Ltd. 2021–I,
Barings CLO Ltd. 2021–II, Barings CLO
Ltd. 2021–III, Barings Middle Market
CLO Ltd. 2021–I, Barings CLO Ltd.
2016–II, Babson CLO Ltd. 2014–I,
Barings CLO Ltd. 2015–I, Barings CLO
Ltd. 2016–I, Barings CLO Ltd. 2017–I,
Barings U.S. High Yield Collective
Investment Fund, MassMutual High
Yield Fund, MassMutual Ascend Life
Insurance Company, MassMutual Trad
Private Equity LLC, Barings Global
Investment Funds plc—Global MultiCredit Strategy Fund 1, Barings Global
Multi-Credit Strategy 1 Limited, Barings
Global Investment Funds 2 plc—Global
Multi-Credit Strategy Fund 3, Barings
Global Multi-Credit Strategy 3 Limited,
Barings Global Investment Funds plc—
Global Multi-Credit Strategy Fund 4,
Barings Global Multi-Credit Strategy 4
Limited, BME SCSp, BME Investment
` R.L., Barings North American
S.A
Private Loan Fund II (Cayman)-A, LP,
NAPLF (Cayman)-A Senior Funding I
LLC, Barings North American Private
Loan Fund II (Cayman), L.P., NAPLF
(Cayman) Senior Funding I LLC, Barings
North American Private Loan Fund II
(Unlevered), L.P., NAPLF Senior
Funding I LLC, NAPLF (Cayman)-A
Senior Funding II LLC, NAPLF
(Cayman) Senior Funding II LLC,
OTPP—BNAPLF II LP, OTPP—BNAPLF
II Funding LP, Barings Global Special
Situations Credit Fund 4 (Delaware)
L.P., Tryon Street Funding III Ltd.,
Barings Global Investment Funds plc—
European Loan Strategy Fund 1, Barings
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European Loan Strategy 1 Limited, BPC
Funding LLC, and BPCC Holdings, Inc.
Filing Dates: The application was
filed on July 20, 2023, and amended on
October 25, 2023 and December 4, 2023.
Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An
order granting the requested relief will
be issued unless the Commission orders
a hearing. Interested persons may
request a hearing on any application by
emailing the SEC’s Secretary at
Secretarys-Office@sec.gov and serving
the Applicants with a copy of the
request by email, if an email address is
listed for the relevant Applicant below,
or personally or by mail, if a physical
address is listed for the relevant
Applicant below. Hearing requests
should be received by the Commission
by 5:30 p.m. on March 11, 2024, and
should be accompanied by proof of
service on applicants, in the form of an
affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of
service. Pursuant to rule 0–5 under the
Act, hearing requests should state the
nature of the writer’s interest, any facts
bearing upon the desirability of a
hearing on the matter, the reason for the
request, and the issues contested.
Persons who wish to be notified of a
hearing may request notification by
emailing the Commission’s Secretary at
Secretarys-Office@sec.gov.
ADDRESSES: The Commission:
Secretarys-Office@sec.gov. Applicants:
Jill Dinerman, Chief Legal Officer,
Barings LLC at jill.dinerman@
barings.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Cook, Senior Counsel, or Terri
Jordan, Branch Chief, at (202) 551–6825
(Division of Investment Management,
Chief Counsel’s Office).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For
Applicants’ representations, legal
analysis, and conditions, please refer to
Applicants’ second amended and
restated application, dated December 4,
2023, which may be obtained via the
Commission’s website by searching for
the file number at the top of this
document, or for an Applicant using the
Company name search field, on the
SEC’s EDGAR system. The SEC’s
EDGAR system may be searched at
https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/
legacy/companysearch.html. You may
also call the SEC’s Public Reference
Room at (202) 551–8090.
For the Commission, by the Division
of Investment Management, under
delegated authority.
Dated: February 14, 2024.
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–99538; File No. SR–
NYSEARCA–2024–13]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed
Rule Change To Amend the NYSE Arca
Equities Fees and Charges
February 14, 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 February
1, 2024, NYSE Arca, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca’’
or the ‘‘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.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend the
NYSE Arca Equities Fees and Charges
(‘‘Fee Schedule’’) to introduce
additional base credit adjustments for
Lead Market Makers for Adding
Displayed Liquidity in certain assigned
Exchange Traded Products listed on the
Exchange. The Exchange proposes to
implement the proposed changes
effective February 1, 2024.The proposed
rule change is available on the
Exchange’s website at www.nyse.com, at
the principal office of the Exchange, and
at the Commission’s Public Reference
Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
[FR Doc. 2024–03422 Filed 2–20–24; 8:45 am]
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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 the
Fee Schedule to introduce additional
base credit adjustments for Lead Market
Makers (‘‘LMMs’’) 3 for Adding
Displayed Liquidity in certain assigned
Exchange Traded Products (‘‘ETPs’’)
listed on the Exchange. The Exchange
proposes to implement the proposed
changes effective February 1, 2024.
Current Market and Competitive
Environment
The Exchange operates in a highly
competitive market. The Commission
has repeatedly expressed its preference
for competition over regulatory
intervention in determining prices,
products, and services in the securities
markets. 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.’’ 4
While Regulation NMS has enhanced
competition, it has also fostered a
‘‘fragmented’’ market structure where
trading in a single stock can occur
across multiple trading centers. When
multiple trading centers compete for
order flow in the same stock, the
Commission has recognized that ‘‘such
competition can lead to the
fragmentation of order flow in that
stock.’’ 5 Indeed, cash equity trading is
currently dispersed across 16
exchanges,6 numerous alternative
trading systems,7 and broker-dealer
internalizers and wholesalers, all
competing for order flow. Based on
publicly-available information, no
single exchange currently has more than
20% market share.8 Therefore, no
exchange possesses significant pricing
power in the execution of cash equity
order flow. More specifically, the
Exchange’s share of executed volume of
equity trades in Tapes A, B and C
securities is less than 12%.9
The Exchange believes that the evershifting market share among the
exchanges from month to month
demonstrates that market participants
can move order flow, or discontinue or
reduce use of certain categories of
products. While it is not possible to
know a firm’s reason for shifting order
flow, the Exchange believes that one
such reason is because of fee changes at
any of the registered exchanges or nonexchange venues to which the firm
routes order flow. Accordingly,
competitive forces compel the Exchange
to use exchange transaction fees and
credits because market participants can
readily trade on competing venues if
they deem pricing levels at those other
venues to be more favorable.
Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange currently provides
financial incentives to LMMs that are
based on whether the LMM meets
certain prescribed metrics. Specifically,
the Exchange provides incremental
credits to LMMs based on how many
performance metrics an LMM meets in
each NYSE Arca-listed security. The
financial incentives are intended to
encourage LMMs to maintain better
market quality in securities in which
they are registered as the LMM,
including in lower volume and newlylisted securities.
The Exchange notes that its listing
business operates in a highly
competitive market in which market
participants, including issuers of
securities, LMMs, and other liquidity
providers, can readily transfer their
listings, or direct order flow to
competing venues if they deem fee
levels, liquidity provision incentive
programs, or other factors at a particular
venue to be insufficient or excessive.
The proposed rule change reflects the
current competitive pricing
environment and is designed to
incentivize market participants to
participate as LMMs, and thereby,
further enhance the market quality on
all securities listed on the Exchange and
encourage issuers to list new products
on the Exchange.
Currently, under the Lead Market
Maker Transaction Fees and Credits
section of the Fee Schedule, pursuant to
Section II titled ‘‘LMM Base Fees and
Credits per Share,’’ the Exchange
currently charges LMMs a base fee of
$0.0029 per share for orders that remove
liquidity and provides the following
base credits:
• $0.0033 per share for orders that
provide liquidity in securities for which
the LMM is registered as the LMM and
which have a CADV in the previous
month greater than 3,000,000 shares;
• $0.0040 per share for orders that
provide liquidity in securities for which
the LMM is registered as the LMM and
which have a CADV in the previous
month of between 1,000,000 and
3,000,000 shares; and
• $0.0045 per share for orders that
provide liquidity in securities for which
the LMM is registered as the LMM and
which have a CADV in the previous
month of less than 1,000,000 shares.
Additionally, LMMs are provided a
credit of $0.0030 per share for orders
that provide undisplayed liquidity in
Non-Routable Limit Orders in securities
for which the LMM is registered as the
LMM, and a credit of $0.0015 per share
for Non-Displayed Limit Orders that
provide liquidity in securities for which
the LMM is registered as the LMM. The
Exchange also does not charge LMMs a
fee for orders executed in the Closing
Auction.
Further, pursuant to Section III titled
‘‘LMM Performance Metrics-based
Incremental Base Credit Adjustments,’’
the base credit earned by an LMM for
Adding Displayed Liquidity (as
provided in Section II) in an assigned
ETP is adjusted based on the number of
Performance Metrics 10 met by the LMM
in the billing month for each assigned
ETP, as follows:
Incremental base credit
adjustment per ETP
Number of performance metrics met
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4 ...................................................................................................................................
3 The term ‘‘Lead Market Maker’’ is defined in
Rule 1.1(w) to mean a registered Market Maker that
is the exclusive Designated Market Maker in listings
for which the Exchange is the primary market.
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808
(June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005)
(File No. S7–10–04) (Final Rule) (‘‘Regulation
NMS’’).
5 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61358,
75 FR 3594, 3597 (January 21, 2010) (File No. S7–
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($0.0001)
02–10) (Concept Release on Equity Market
Structure).
6 See Cboe U.S Equities Market Volume
Summary, available at https://markets.cboe.com/us/
equities/market_share. See generally https://
www.sec.gov/fastanswers/divisionsmarketregmr
exchangesshtml.html.
7 See FINRA ATS Transparency Data, available at
https://otctransparency.finra.org/otctransparency/
AtsIssueData. A list of alternative trading systems
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Incremental base credit
adjustment per
leveraged ETP
($0.0001)
registered with the Commission is available at
https://www.sec.gov/foia/docs/atslist.htm.
8 See Cboe Global Markets U.S. Equities Market
Volume Summary, available at https://markets.
cboe.com/us/equities/market_share/.
9 See id.
10 The Performance Metrics are enumerated on
the Fee Schedule in Section III under LMM
Transaction Fees and Credits.
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The Exchange proposes to introduce
four new categories of ETPs in which a
LMM is registered as the LMM and
provide an incremental credit to such
LMMs based on the number of
Performance Metrics met by the LMM in
the billing month for each assigned ETP.
The proposed new categories of ETPs
are Less Active ETP,11 Less Active
Leveraged ETP,12 New ETP 13 and New
Leveraged ETP.
As proposed, LMMs that are
registered as the LMM in a Less Active
ETP would be able to earn an
incremental credit of $0.0001 per share
if the LMM meets 3 Performance
Metrics or earn an incremental credit of
$0.0002 per share if the LMM meets all
4 Performance Metrics. There would be
no adjustment to the base credit payable
to the LMM if the LMM meets 2
Performance Metrics. LMMs that meet
just 1 Performance Metric would have
their base credit reduced by $0.0002 per
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(0.00005)
0.0000
0.0001
0.0002
share and LMMs that do not meet any
Performance Metric would have their
base credit reduced by $0.0004 per
share.
Further, as proposed, LMMs that are
registered as the LMM in a Less Active
Leveraged ETP would be able to earn an
incremental credit of $0.0001 per share
if the LMM meets 3 Performance
Metrics or earn an incremental credit of
$0.0002 per share if the LMM meets all
4 Performance Metrics. There would be
no adjustment to the base credit payable
to the LMM if the LMM meets 1 or 2
Performance Metrics or if the LMM does
not meet any Performance Metric.
Additionally, as proposed, LMMs that
are registered as the LMM in a New ETP
would be able to earn an incremental
credit of $0.0002 per share if the LMM
meets 3 Performance Metrics or earn an
incremental credit of $0.0004 per share
if the LMM meets all 4 Performance
Metrics. LMMs that meet 2 Performance
Incremental
base credit
adjustment
per less active
ETP
Number of
performance
metrics met
4
3
2
1
0
Incremental base credit
adjustment per
leveraged ETP
Incremental base credit
adjustment per ETP
Number of performance metrics met
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
(0.00005)
0.0000
0.0000
0.0000
Metrics would have their base credit
reduced by $0.0002 per share while
LMMs that meet just 1 Performance
Metric would have their base credit
reduced by of $0.0004 per share. LMMs
that do not meet any Performance
Metric would have their base credit
reduced by $0.0005 per share.
Lastly, as proposed, LMMs that are
registered as the LMM in a New
Leveraged ETP would be able to earn an
incremental credit of $0.0002 per share
if the LMM meets 3 Performance
Metrics or earn an incremental credit of
$0.0004 per share if the LMM meets all
4 Performance Metrics. There would be
no adjustment to the base credit payable
to the LMM if the LMM meets 1 or 2
Performance Metrics or if the LMM does
not meet any Performance Metric.
The table below illustrates the
proposed new incremental base credit
adjustments discussed above.
Incremental
base credit
adjustment
per less active
leveraged ETP
($0.0002)
(0.0001)
0.0000
0.0002
0.0004
13119
($0.0002)
(0.0001)
0.0000
0.0000
0.0000
Incremental
base credit
adjustment
per new ETP
($0.0004)
(0.0002)
0.0002
0.0004
0.0005
Incremental
base credit
adjustment
per new
leveraged
ETP
($0.0004)
(0.0002)
0.0000
0.0000
0.0000
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change would further enhance
market quality on New ETPs and Less
Active ETPs by incentivizing LMMs to
meet the Performance Metrics across all
ETPs, including Less Active ETPs (and
Less Active Leveraged ETPs) and New
ETPs (and New Leveraged ETPs), which
would support the quality of price
discovery in such securities on the
Exchange and provide additional
liquidity for incoming orders for the
benefit of all market participants.
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change would also provide superior
market quality and price discovery for
Exchange-listed securities, specifically
securities that are new or less active,
through new financial incentives for
achieving various performance metrics
illustrated in Section III under the Lead
Market Maker Transaction Fees and
Credits section of the Fee Schedule, i.e.,
LMM spread, LMM shares within 1% of
NBBO and LMM quoting size
requirements in Core Open Auction and
Closing Auction, thus promoting
liquidity in in such securities. The
proposed rule change is intended to
provide a more meaningful incentive to
LMMs to provide liquidity in new and
less active securities by providing
financial incentives to the Exchange’s
members as long as they meet certain
prescribed quoting criteria. The
Exchange believes that a performancedriven incentive would encourage such
members to provide meaningful quotes
and size in new and less active
securities listed and traded on the
Exchange.
11 A ‘‘Less Active ETP’’ is currently defined on
the Fee Schedule in Section I under LMM
Transaction Fees and Credits to mean ‘‘ETPs that
have a CADV in the prior calendar quarter that is
the greater of either less than 100,000 shares or less
than 0.013% of Consolidated Tape B ADV.’’
12 A ‘‘Leveraged ETP’’ is currently defined on the
Fee Schedule in Section I under LMM Transaction
Fees and Credits to mean ‘‘an ETP that tracks an
underlying index by a ratio other than on a one-toone basis.’’
13 The Exchange proposes to adopt a definition of
New ETP on the Fee Schedule in Section I under
LMM Transaction Fees and Credits. As proposed,
a ‘‘New ETP would mean an ETP for the first 12
months of listing on NYSE Arca.’’ Under the
proposal, the Exchange would treat an ETP listed
for the first 12 months as a New ETP even if it
qualifies as a Less Active ETP.
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Additionally, for newly-listed and
less active ETPs, the cost to a firm for
making a market, such as holding
inventory in the security, is often not
fully offset by the revenue through
rebates provided by the Exchange. In
some cases, firms may even operate at
a loss in new and less active ETPs. The
Exchange believes the proposed
incentives, which would compensate
members as long as they meet the
prescribed performance metrics, is a
more deterministic program from a
member’s perspective. The member
would decide how many, if any, new
and less active ETPs it wants to provide
tight and deep markets in. The more
securities the member provides
heightened quoting in, the more the
member could collect in the form of a
rebate.
The proposed changes are not
otherwise intended to address any other
issues, and the Exchange is not aware of
any significant problems that market
participants would have in complying
with the proposed changes.
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.14 Specifically,
the Exchange believes the proposed rule
change is consistent with Section 6(b)(4)
of the Act,15 which provides that
Exchange rules may provide for the
equitable allocation of reasonable dues,
fees, and other charges among its
members and other persons using its
facilities. Additionally, the Exchange
believes the proposed rule change is
consistent with the Section 6(b)(5) 16
requirement that the rules of an
exchange not be designed to permit
unfair discrimination between
customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers.
The Exchange notes that its ETP listing
business operates in a highlycompetitive market in which market
participants, which includes LMMs, as
well as ETP issuers, can opt not to
participate on the Exchange or readily
transfer their listings from the Exchange,
respectively, if they deem fee levels,
liquidity provision incentive programs,
or any other factor at a particular venue
to be insufficient or excessive. The
proposed rule change reflects a
competitive pricing structure designed
to incentivize issuers to list new
products and transfer existing products
14 15
U.S.C. 78f(b).
U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
16 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
15 15
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to the Exchange and market participants
to enroll and participate as LMMs on
the Exchange, which the Exchange
believes will enhance market quality in
all ETPs listed on the Exchange.
The Proposed Change Is Reasonable
The Exchange believes that the
proposal to adopt market quality-based
incentives is a reasonable means to
incentivize liquidity provision in ETPs
listed on the Exchange. The marketplace
for listings is extremely competitive and
the Exchange is not the only venue for
listing ETPs. Competition in ETPs is
further exacerbated by the fact that
listings can and do transfer from one
listing market to another. The proposed
rule change is intended to help the
Exchange compete as a listing venue for
ETPs, specifically New and Less Active
ETPs. Further, the Exchange notes that
the proposed incentives are not
transaction fees, nor are they fees paid
by participants to access the Exchange.
Rather, the proposed rebates are based
on achieving certain objective market
quality metrics. The Exchange believes
providing rebates that are based on the
quality of the market in individual ETPs
that generally have low volume, or are
newly-listed, will allow ETP Holders to
anticipate their revenue and will
incentivize them to provide tight and
deep markets in those securities.
The Exchange cannot be certain that
LMMs will choose to actively compete
for the proposed incentives. For LMMs
that do choose to actively participate by
providing deep and tight markets in
Less Active ETPs and New ETPs, the
Exchange expects those members to
receive payments comparable to what
they currently receive, with the
potential for additional upside when
they meet the Performance Metrics in a
greater number of securities. The
Exchange believes the proposed
incentives, which would compensate
LMMs as long as they meet the
prescribed Performance Metrics, is also
reasonable because it is a more
deterministic program from an ETP
Holder’s perspective.
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change is intended to encourage
LMMs to promote price discovery and
market quality in Less Active ETPs and
New ETPs for the benefit of all market
participants. The Exchange believes the
proposed rule change is reasonable and
appropriate in that the incentives are
based on the amount of business
transacted on the Exchange. The
Exchange notes that the proposed
incremental credits offered by the
Exchange is similar to market quality
incentive programs already in place on
other markets, such as the Designated
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Liquidity Provider incentives on the
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (‘‘Nasdaq’’),
which requires a member on that
exchange to provide meaningful and
consistent support to market quality and
price discovery in low volume
exchange-traded products by quoting at
the National Best Bid and Offer and
adding liquidity in a minimum number
of such securities. In return, Nasdaq
provides the member with an
incremental rebate.17
The Proposal Is an Equitable Allocation
of Fees
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change is equitable because the
proposal would provide discounts that
are reasonably related to the value to the
Exchange’s market quality associated
with higher volumes and improved
quoting in Less Active ETPs and New
ETPs. The Exchange further believes
that the proposed incentives are
equitable because they are consistent
with the market quality and competitive
benefits associated with the fee program
and because the magnitude of the
proposed incentives are not
unreasonably high in comparison to the
rebate paid with respect to other
displayed liquidity-providing orders.
The Exchange believes that it is
equitable to offer increased rebates to
LMMs as they are currently subject to
obligations specified in Rule 7.23–E,
which are not applicable to non-Market
Maker ETP Holders, and LMMs would
be subject to additional requirements
and obligations (such as meeting
Performance Metrics) that other market
participants are not.
The Exchange believes that the
proposal to offer incentives tied to
market quality metrics represents an
equitable allocation of payments
because LMMs would be required to not
only meet their Rule 7.23–E obligations,
but also meet prescribed quoting
requirements to qualify for the credits,
as described above. Where an LMM
does not meet at least 3 Performance
Metrics, that member will not receive
any additional financial benefit.
Further, all LMMs on the Exchange are
eligible to participate and could do so
by simply registering in a Less Active
ETP and/or a New ETP and meeting the
prescribed market quality metrics. The
Exchange has designed the proposed
pricing incentives to be sustainable over
the long-term and generally expects that
credits paid to LMMs will be
comparable to credits the Exchange
17 See Equity 7 Pricing Schedule, Section 114.
Market Quality Incentive Programs, at https://listing
center.nasdaq.com/rulebook/nasdaq/rules/
Nasdaq%20Equity%207#section_114_market_
quality_incentive_programs.
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khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
currently provides to its members and
comparable to pricing incentives offered
by the Exchange’s competitors. As such,
the Exchange believes that the proposal
represents an equitable allocation of
dues, fees and credits.
The Proposal Is Not Unfairly
Discriminatory
The Exchange believes that the
proposal is not unfairly discriminatory.
In the prevailing competitive
environment, LMMs are free to disfavor
the Exchange’s pricing if they believe
that alternatives offer them better value.
The Exchange believes it is not
unfairly discriminatory to adopt
incremental credits applicable to LMMs
because LMMs are already subject to
additional obligations, as specified in
Rule 7.23–E, and the proposed
additional credits would be provided on
an equal basis to all similarly-situated
participants provided each such
participant meets the prescribed market
quality metrics. If an LMM does not
meet the required number of
Performance Metrics, the LMM would
not receive any incremental credit.
Further, the Exchange believes the
incremental credit would incentivize
each of these participants to register in
Less Active ETPs and New ETPs and
send more orders to the Exchange to
qualify for higher credits. The Exchange
also believes that the proposed rule
change is not unfairly discriminatory
because it is reasonably related to the
value to the Exchange’s market quality
associated with higher volume.
The proposal to offer an additional
credit tied to meeting certain market
quality requirements neither targets nor
will it have a disparate impact on any
particular category of market
participant. The proposal does not
permit unfair discrimination because
LMMs already have increased
obligations vis-a´-vis non-Market Maker
ETP Holders, as specified in Rule 7.23–
E, and the proposed requirements
would be applied to all similarlysituated LMMs equally.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is not unfairly
discriminatory because all LMMs that
choose to qualify for the incremental
credits would be required to meet a
minimum number of Performance
Metrics in order to receive the credits.
Where a participant does not achieve a
certain number of Performance Metrics,
it will not receive any incremental
credits. Further, all LMMs on the
Exchange are eligible to participate in
the program and could do so by being
registered as the LMM in Less Active
ETPs and/or New ETPs and meeting a
minimum number of Performance
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Metrics. The Exchange has designed the
pricing incentives proposed herein to be
sustainable over the long-term and
generally expects that credits provided
to LMMs would be comparable to
credits the Exchange currently provides
to its LMMs and comparable to pricing
incentives offered by the Exchange’s
competitors. As such, the Exchange
believes that the proposal is not unfairly
discriminatory.
For the foregoing reasons, the
Exchange believes that the proposal is
consistent with the Act.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
In accordance with Section 6(b)(8) of
the Act,18 the Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change would not impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. Instead, as
discussed above, the Exchange believes
that the proposed changes would
encourage the submission of additional
liquidity to a public exchange, thereby
promoting market depth, price
discovery and transparency and
enhancing order execution
opportunities for LMMs. As a result, the
Exchange believes that the proposed
change furthers the Commission’s goal
in adopting Regulation NMS of fostering
integrated competition among orders,
which promotes ‘‘more efficient pricing
of individual stocks for all types of
orders, large and small.’’ 19
Intramarket Competition. The
proposed change is designed to attract
additional order flow to the Exchange.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed Performance Metrics-based
incremental credit applicable to LMMs
in Less Active ETPs (including Less
Active Leveraged ETPs) and New ETPs
(including New Leveraged ETPs) in
which they are registered as the LMM
would continue to incentivize market
participants to direct their displayed
order flow to the Exchange. Greater
liquidity benefits all market participants
on the Exchange by providing more
trading opportunities and encourages
LMMs to send additional orders to the
Exchange, thereby contributing to robust
levels of liquidity. The proposed pricing
incentive would be applicable to all
similarly-situated market participants
that have obligations under Rule 7.23–
E to meet specified obligations, and, as
such, the proposed changes would not
impose a disparate burden on
competition among market participants
18 15
U.S.C. 78f(b)(8).
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808,
70 FR 37495, 37498–99 (June 29, 2005) (S7–10–04)
(Final Rule).
19 See
PO 00000
Frm 00089
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13121
on the Exchange. Accordingly, the
Exchange does not believe that the
proposed change will impair the ability
of LMMs to maintain their competitive
standing. The Exchange does not believe
that the proposed change represents a
significant departure from previous
pricing offered by the Exchange or its
competitors.
Intermarket Competition. The
Exchange operates in a highly
competitive market in which market
participants can readily choose to send
their orders to other exchange and offexchange venues if they deem fee levels
at those other venues to be more
favorable. As noted above, the
Exchange’s market share of intraday
trading (i.e., excluding auctions) is
currently less than 12%. In such an
environment, the Exchange must
continually adjust its fees and rebates to
remain competitive with other
exchanges and with off-exchange
venues. Because competitors are free to
modify their own fees and credits in
response, and because market
participants may readily adjust their
order routing practices, the Exchange
does not believe its proposed fee change
can impose any burden on intermarket
competition. The Exchange believes that
the proposed rule change could promote
competition between the Exchange and
other execution venues, including those
that currently offer comparable
transaction pricing, by encouraging
additional orders to be sent to the
Exchange for execution.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become
effective upon filing pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A) 20 of the Act and paragraph
(f) 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.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
20 15
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U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
21FEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 21, 2024 / Notices
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:
[FR Doc. 2024–03453 Filed 2–20–24; 8:45 am]
Electronic Comments
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
• 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–
NYSEARCA–2024–13 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.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.21
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
All submissions should refer to file
number SR–NYSEARCA–2024–13. 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. 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–NYSEARCA–2024–
13, and should be submitted on or
before March 13, 2024.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–99537; File No. SR–Phlx–
2024–04]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq
PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed
Rule Change To Amend Equity 7,
Section 3(a)
Pursuant to section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on February
1, 2024, Nasdaq PHLX LLC (‘‘Phlx’’ or
‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (‘‘SEC’’ or
‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I, II, and
III below, which Items have been
prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend its
pricing schedule at Equity 7, Section
3(a), as described further below.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available on the Exchange’s website at
https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/
rulebook/phlx/rules, 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.
21 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
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A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The purpose of the proposed rule
change is to provide an additional
calculation for purposes of determining
whether a member qualifies for credits
set forth in Equity 7, Section 3(a) that
pertain to providing liquidity.
Presently, the Exchange provides its
members with various credits for
executing orders that add liquidity to
the Exchange and charges them various
fees for executing orders, that remove
liquidity from the Exchange, as set forth
in Equity 7, Section 3(a) of the
Exchange’s Rules. The charges and
credits in Equity 7, Section 3(a) apply to
the use of the order execution and
routing services of the Nasdaq PSX
System by members for all securities
priced at $1 or more that it trades.
Members may qualify for tiers of
discounted fees and premium credits
based, in part, upon their volume on the
Exchange as a percentage of total
‘‘Consolidated Volume.’’
Pursuant to Equity 7, Section 3(a), the
term ‘‘Consolidated Volume’’ means the
total consolidated volume reported to
all consolidated transaction reporting
plans by all exchanges and trade
reporting facilities during a month in
equity securities, excluding executed
orders with a size of less than one round
lot. For purposes of calculating
Consolidated Volume and the extent of
a member’s trading activity, the
following are excluded from both total
Consolidated Volume and the member’s
trading activity: (1) the date of the
annual reconstitution of the Russell
Investments Indexes; (2) the dates on
which stock options, stock index
options, and stock index futures expire
(i.e., the third Friday of March, June,
September, and December); (3) the dates
of the rebalance of the MSCI Equities
Indexes (i.e., on a quarterly basis); (4)
the dates of the rebalance of the S&P
400, S&P 500, and S&P 600 Indexes (i.e.,
on a quarterly basis); and (5) the date of
the annual reconstitution of the Nasdaq100 and Nasdaq Biotechnology Indexes.
Generally, the ratio of consolidated
volumes in securities priced at or above
$1 (‘‘dollar plus volume’’) relative to
consolidated volumes inclusive of
securities priced below a dollar is
usually stable from month to month,
such that ‘‘Consolidated Volume’’ has
been a reasonable baseline for
determining tiered incentives for
members that execute dollar plus
volume on the Exchange. However,
there have been a few months where
E:\FR\FM\21FEN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13117-13122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03453]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-99538; File No. SR-NYSEARCA-2024-13]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend the NYSE
Arca Equities Fees and Charges
February 14, 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 February 1, 2024, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca'' or the
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``SEC'' or ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the
Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments
on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend the NYSE Arca Equities Fees and
Charges (``Fee Schedule'') to introduce additional base credit
adjustments for Lead Market Makers for Adding Displayed Liquidity in
certain assigned Exchange Traded Products listed on the Exchange. The
Exchange proposes to implement the proposed changes effective February
1, 2024.The proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's website
at www.nyse.com, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the
Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most
significant parts of such statements.
[[Page 13118]]
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 the Fee Schedule to introduce
additional base credit adjustments for Lead Market Makers (``LMMs'')
\3\ for Adding Displayed Liquidity in certain assigned Exchange Traded
Products (``ETPs'') listed on the Exchange. The Exchange proposes to
implement the proposed changes effective February 1, 2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The term ``Lead Market Maker'' is defined in Rule 1.1(w) to
mean a registered Market Maker that is the exclusive Designated
Market Maker in listings for which the Exchange is the primary
market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Market and Competitive Environment
The Exchange operates in a highly competitive market. The
Commission has repeatedly expressed its preference for competition over
regulatory intervention in determining prices, products, and services
in the securities markets. 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.'' \4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9,
2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005) (File No. S7-10-04) (Final
Rule) (``Regulation NMS'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While Regulation NMS has enhanced competition, it has also fostered
a ``fragmented'' market structure where trading in a single stock can
occur across multiple trading centers. When multiple trading centers
compete for order flow in the same stock, the Commission has recognized
that ``such competition can lead to the fragmentation of order flow in
that stock.'' \5\ Indeed, cash equity trading is currently dispersed
across 16 exchanges,\6\ numerous alternative trading systems,\7\ and
broker-dealer internalizers and wholesalers, all competing for order
flow. Based on publicly-available information, no single exchange
currently has more than 20% market share.\8\ Therefore, no exchange
possesses significant pricing power in the execution of cash equity
order flow. More specifically, the Exchange's share of executed volume
of equity trades in Tapes A, B and C securities is less than 12%.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61358, 75 FR 3594,
3597 (January 21, 2010) (File No. S7-02-10) (Concept Release on
Equity Market Structure).
\6\ See Cboe U.S Equities Market Volume Summary, available at
https://markets.cboe.com/us/equities/market_share. See generally
https://www.sec.gov/fastanswers/divisionsmarketregmrexchangesshtml.html.
\7\ See FINRA ATS Transparency Data, available at https://otctransparency.finra.org/otctransparency/AtsIssueData. A list of
alternative trading systems registered with the Commission is
available at https://www.sec.gov/foia/docs/atslist.htm.
\8\ See Cboe Global Markets U.S. Equities Market Volume Summary,
available at https://markets.cboe.com/us/equities/market_share/.
\9\ See id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes that the ever-shifting market share among the
exchanges from month to month demonstrates that market participants can
move order flow, or discontinue or reduce use of certain categories of
products. While it is not possible to know a firm's reason for shifting
order flow, the Exchange believes that one such reason is because of
fee changes at any of the registered exchanges or non-exchange venues
to which the firm routes order flow. Accordingly, competitive forces
compel the Exchange to use exchange transaction fees and credits
because market participants can readily trade on competing venues if
they deem pricing levels at those other venues to be more favorable.
Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange currently provides financial incentives to LMMs that
are based on whether the LMM meets certain prescribed metrics.
Specifically, the Exchange provides incremental credits to LMMs based
on how many performance metrics an LMM meets in each NYSE Arca-listed
security. The financial incentives are intended to encourage LMMs to
maintain better market quality in securities in which they are
registered as the LMM, including in lower volume and newly-listed
securities.
The Exchange notes that its listing business operates in a highly
competitive market in which market participants, including issuers of
securities, LMMs, and other liquidity providers, can readily transfer
their listings, or direct order flow to competing venues if they deem
fee levels, liquidity provision incentive programs, or other factors at
a particular venue to be insufficient or excessive. The proposed rule
change reflects the current competitive pricing environment and is
designed to incentivize market participants to participate as LMMs, and
thereby, further enhance the market quality on all securities listed on
the Exchange and encourage issuers to list new products on the
Exchange.
Currently, under the Lead Market Maker Transaction Fees and Credits
section of the Fee Schedule, pursuant to Section II titled ``LMM Base
Fees and Credits per Share,'' the Exchange currently charges LMMs a
base fee of $0.0029 per share for orders that remove liquidity and
provides the following base credits:
$0.0033 per share for orders that provide liquidity in
securities for which the LMM is registered as the LMM and which have a
CADV in the previous month greater than 3,000,000 shares;
$0.0040 per share for orders that provide liquidity in
securities for which the LMM is registered as the LMM and which have a
CADV in the previous month of between 1,000,000 and 3,000,000 shares;
and
$0.0045 per share for orders that provide liquidity in
securities for which the LMM is registered as the LMM and which have a
CADV in the previous month of less than 1,000,000 shares.
Additionally, LMMs are provided a credit of $0.0030 per share for
orders that provide undisplayed liquidity in Non-Routable Limit Orders
in securities for which the LMM is registered as the LMM, and a credit
of $0.0015 per share for Non-Displayed Limit Orders that provide
liquidity in securities for which the LMM is registered as the LMM. The
Exchange also does not charge LMMs a fee for orders executed in the
Closing Auction.
Further, pursuant to Section III titled ``LMM Performance Metrics-
based Incremental Base Credit Adjustments,'' the base credit earned by
an LMM for Adding Displayed Liquidity (as provided in Section II) in an
assigned ETP is adjusted based on the number of Performance Metrics
\10\ met by the LMM in the billing month for each assigned ETP, as
follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ The Performance Metrics are enumerated on the Fee Schedule
in Section III under LMM Transaction Fees and Credits.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incremental base credit
Number of performance metrics met Incremental base credit adjustment per leveraged
adjustment per ETP ETP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4....................................................... ($0.0001) ($0.0001)
[[Page 13119]]
3....................................................... (0.00005) (0.00005)
2....................................................... 0.0000 0.0000
1....................................................... 0.0001 0.0000
0....................................................... 0.0002 0.0000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange proposes to introduce four new categories of ETPs in
which a LMM is registered as the LMM and provide an incremental credit
to such LMMs based on the number of Performance Metrics met by the LMM
in the billing month for each assigned ETP. The proposed new categories
of ETPs are Less Active ETP,\11\ Less Active Leveraged ETP,\12\ New ETP
\13\ and New Leveraged ETP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ A ``Less Active ETP'' is currently defined on the Fee
Schedule in Section I under LMM Transaction Fees and Credits to mean
``ETPs that have a CADV in the prior calendar quarter that is the
greater of either less than 100,000 shares or less than 0.013% of
Consolidated Tape B ADV.''
\12\ A ``Leveraged ETP'' is currently defined on the Fee
Schedule in Section I under LMM Transaction Fees and Credits to mean
``an ETP that tracks an underlying index by a ratio other than on a
one-to-one basis.''
\13\ The Exchange proposes to adopt a definition of New ETP on
the Fee Schedule in Section I under LMM Transaction Fees and
Credits. As proposed, a ``New ETP would mean an ETP for the first 12
months of listing on NYSE Arca.'' Under the proposal, the Exchange
would treat an ETP listed for the first 12 months as a New ETP even
if it qualifies as a Less Active ETP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As proposed, LMMs that are registered as the LMM in a Less Active
ETP would be able to earn an incremental credit of $0.0001 per share if
the LMM meets 3 Performance Metrics or earn an incremental credit of
$0.0002 per share if the LMM meets all 4 Performance Metrics. There
would be no adjustment to the base credit payable to the LMM if the LMM
meets 2 Performance Metrics. LMMs that meet just 1 Performance Metric
would have their base credit reduced by $0.0002 per share and LMMs that
do not meet any Performance Metric would have their base credit reduced
by $0.0004 per share.
Further, as proposed, LMMs that are registered as the LMM in a Less
Active Leveraged ETP would be able to earn an incremental credit of
$0.0001 per share if the LMM meets 3 Performance Metrics or earn an
incremental credit of $0.0002 per share if the LMM meets all 4
Performance Metrics. There would be no adjustment to the base credit
payable to the LMM if the LMM meets 1 or 2 Performance Metrics or if
the LMM does not meet any Performance Metric.
Additionally, as proposed, LMMs that are registered as the LMM in a
New ETP would be able to earn an incremental credit of $0.0002 per
share if the LMM meets 3 Performance Metrics or earn an incremental
credit of $0.0004 per share if the LMM meets all 4 Performance Metrics.
LMMs that meet 2 Performance Metrics would have their base credit
reduced by $0.0002 per share while LMMs that meet just 1 Performance
Metric would have their base credit reduced by of $0.0004 per share.
LMMs that do not meet any Performance Metric would have their base
credit reduced by $0.0005 per share.
Lastly, as proposed, LMMs that are registered as the LMM in a New
Leveraged ETP would be able to earn an incremental credit of $0.0002
per share if the LMM meets 3 Performance Metrics or earn an incremental
credit of $0.0004 per share if the LMM meets all 4 Performance Metrics.
There would be no adjustment to the base credit payable to the LMM if
the LMM meets 1 or 2 Performance Metrics or if the LMM does not meet
any Performance Metric.
The table below illustrates the proposed new incremental base
credit adjustments discussed above.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incremental Incremental
base credit Incremental base Incremental base credit
Number of performance metrics met adjustment per credit adjustment base credit adjustment per
less active per less active adjustment per new leveraged
ETP leveraged ETP new ETP ETP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4............................................ ($0.0002) ($0.0002) ($0.0004) ($0.0004)
3............................................ (0.0001) (0.0001) (0.0002) (0.0002)
2............................................ 0.0000 0.0000 0.0002 0.0000
1............................................ 0.0002 0.0000 0.0004 0.0000
0............................................ 0.0004 0.0000 0.0005 0.0000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change would further
enhance market quality on New ETPs and Less Active ETPs by
incentivizing LMMs to meet the Performance Metrics across all ETPs,
including Less Active ETPs (and Less Active Leveraged ETPs) and New
ETPs (and New Leveraged ETPs), which would support the quality of price
discovery in such securities on the Exchange and provide additional
liquidity for incoming orders for the benefit of all market
participants.
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change would also provide
superior market quality and price discovery for Exchange-listed
securities, specifically securities that are new or less active,
through new financial incentives for achieving various performance
metrics illustrated in Section III under the Lead Market Maker
Transaction Fees and Credits section of the Fee Schedule, i.e., LMM
spread, LMM shares within 1% of NBBO and LMM quoting size requirements
in Core Open Auction and Closing Auction, thus promoting liquidity in
in such securities. The proposed rule change is intended to provide a
more meaningful incentive to LMMs to provide liquidity in new and less
active securities by providing financial incentives to the Exchange's
members as long as they meet certain prescribed quoting criteria. The
Exchange believes that a performance-driven incentive would encourage
such members to provide meaningful quotes and size in new and less
active securities listed and traded on the Exchange.
[[Page 13120]]
Additionally, for newly-listed and less active ETPs, the cost to a
firm for making a market, such as holding inventory in the security, is
often not fully offset by the revenue through rebates provided by the
Exchange. In some cases, firms may even operate at a loss in new and
less active ETPs. The Exchange believes the proposed incentives, which
would compensate members as long as they meet the prescribed
performance metrics, is a more deterministic program from a member's
perspective. The member would decide how many, if any, new and less
active ETPs it wants to provide tight and deep markets in. The more
securities the member provides heightened quoting in, the more the
member could collect in the form of a rebate.
The proposed changes are not otherwise intended to address any
other issues, and the Exchange is not aware of any significant problems
that market participants would have in complying with the proposed
changes.
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.\14\ Specifically, the
Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with Section
6(b)(4) of the Act,\15\ which provides that Exchange rules may provide
for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees, and other
charges among its members and other persons using its facilities.
Additionally, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is
consistent with the Section 6(b)(5) \16\ requirement that the rules of
an exchange not be designed to permit unfair discrimination between
customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers. The Exchange notes that its
ETP listing business operates in a highly-competitive market in which
market participants, which includes LMMs, as well as ETP issuers, can
opt not to participate on the Exchange or readily transfer their
listings from the Exchange, respectively, if they deem fee levels,
liquidity provision incentive programs, or any other factor at a
particular venue to be insufficient or excessive. The proposed rule
change reflects a competitive pricing structure designed to incentivize
issuers to list new products and transfer existing products to the
Exchange and market participants to enroll and participate as LMMs on
the Exchange, which the Exchange believes will enhance market quality
in all ETPs listed on the Exchange.
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\14\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\15\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
\16\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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The Proposed Change Is Reasonable
The Exchange believes that the proposal to adopt market quality-
based incentives is a reasonable means to incentivize liquidity
provision in ETPs listed on the Exchange. The marketplace for listings
is extremely competitive and the Exchange is not the only venue for
listing ETPs. Competition in ETPs is further exacerbated by the fact
that listings can and do transfer from one listing market to another.
The proposed rule change is intended to help the Exchange compete as a
listing venue for ETPs, specifically New and Less Active ETPs. Further,
the Exchange notes that the proposed incentives are not transaction
fees, nor are they fees paid by participants to access the Exchange.
Rather, the proposed rebates are based on achieving certain objective
market quality metrics. The Exchange believes providing rebates that
are based on the quality of the market in individual ETPs that
generally have low volume, or are newly-listed, will allow ETP Holders
to anticipate their revenue and will incentivize them to provide tight
and deep markets in those securities.
The Exchange cannot be certain that LMMs will choose to actively
compete for the proposed incentives. For LMMs that do choose to
actively participate by providing deep and tight markets in Less Active
ETPs and New ETPs, the Exchange expects those members to receive
payments comparable to what they currently receive, with the potential
for additional upside when they meet the Performance Metrics in a
greater number of securities. The Exchange believes the proposed
incentives, which would compensate LMMs as long as they meet the
prescribed Performance Metrics, is also reasonable because it is a more
deterministic program from an ETP Holder's perspective.
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is intended to
encourage LMMs to promote price discovery and market quality in Less
Active ETPs and New ETPs for the benefit of all market participants.
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is reasonable and
appropriate in that the incentives are based on the amount of business
transacted on the Exchange. The Exchange notes that the proposed
incremental credits offered by the Exchange is similar to market
quality incentive programs already in place on other markets, such as
the Designated Liquidity Provider incentives on the Nasdaq Stock Market
LLC (``Nasdaq''), which requires a member on that exchange to provide
meaningful and consistent support to market quality and price discovery
in low volume exchange-traded products by quoting at the National Best
Bid and Offer and adding liquidity in a minimum number of such
securities. In return, Nasdaq provides the member with an incremental
rebate.\17\
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\17\ See Equity 7 Pricing Schedule, Section 114. Market Quality
Incentive Programs, at https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/rulebook/nasdaq/rules/Nasdaq%20Equity%207#section_114_market_quality_incentive_programs.
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The Proposal Is an Equitable Allocation of Fees
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is equitable because
the proposal would provide discounts that are reasonably related to the
value to the Exchange's market quality associated with higher volumes
and improved quoting in Less Active ETPs and New ETPs. The Exchange
further believes that the proposed incentives are equitable because
they are consistent with the market quality and competitive benefits
associated with the fee program and because the magnitude of the
proposed incentives are not unreasonably high in comparison to the
rebate paid with respect to other displayed liquidity-providing orders.
The Exchange believes that it is equitable to offer increased rebates
to LMMs as they are currently subject to obligations specified in Rule
7.23-E, which are not applicable to non-Market Maker ETP Holders, and
LMMs would be subject to additional requirements and obligations (such
as meeting Performance Metrics) that other market participants are not.
The Exchange believes that the proposal to offer incentives tied to
market quality metrics represents an equitable allocation of payments
because LMMs would be required to not only meet their Rule 7.23-E
obligations, but also meet prescribed quoting requirements to qualify
for the credits, as described above. Where an LMM does not meet at
least 3 Performance Metrics, that member will not receive any
additional financial benefit. Further, all LMMs on the Exchange are
eligible to participate and could do so by simply registering in a Less
Active ETP and/or a New ETP and meeting the prescribed market quality
metrics. The Exchange has designed the proposed pricing incentives to
be sustainable over the long-term and generally expects that credits
paid to LMMs will be comparable to credits the Exchange
[[Page 13121]]
currently provides to its members and comparable to pricing incentives
offered by the Exchange's competitors. As such, the Exchange believes
that the proposal represents an equitable allocation of dues, fees and
credits.
The Proposal Is Not Unfairly Discriminatory
The Exchange believes that the proposal is not unfairly
discriminatory. In the prevailing competitive environment, LMMs are
free to disfavor the Exchange's pricing if they believe that
alternatives offer them better value.
The Exchange believes it is not unfairly discriminatory to adopt
incremental credits applicable to LMMs because LMMs are already subject
to additional obligations, as specified in Rule 7.23-E, and the
proposed additional credits would be provided on an equal basis to all
similarly-situated participants provided each such participant meets
the prescribed market quality metrics. If an LMM does not meet the
required number of Performance Metrics, the LMM would not receive any
incremental credit. Further, the Exchange believes the incremental
credit would incentivize each of these participants to register in Less
Active ETPs and New ETPs and send more orders to the Exchange to
qualify for higher credits. The Exchange also believes that the
proposed rule change is not unfairly discriminatory because it is
reasonably related to the value to the Exchange's market quality
associated with higher volume.
The proposal to offer an additional credit tied to meeting certain
market quality requirements neither targets nor will it have a
disparate impact on any particular category of market participant. The
proposal does not permit unfair discrimination because LMMs already
have increased obligations vis-[aacute]-vis non-Market Maker ETP
Holders, as specified in Rule 7.23-E, and the proposed requirements
would be applied to all similarly-situated LMMs equally.
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is not unfairly
discriminatory because all LMMs that choose to qualify for the
incremental credits would be required to meet a minimum number of
Performance Metrics in order to receive the credits. Where a
participant does not achieve a certain number of Performance Metrics,
it will not receive any incremental credits. Further, all LMMs on the
Exchange are eligible to participate in the program and could do so by
being registered as the LMM in Less Active ETPs and/or New ETPs and
meeting a minimum number of Performance Metrics. The Exchange has
designed the pricing incentives proposed herein to be sustainable over
the long-term and generally expects that credits provided to LMMs would
be comparable to credits the Exchange currently provides to its LMMs
and comparable to pricing incentives offered by the Exchange's
competitors. As such, the Exchange believes that the proposal is not
unfairly discriminatory.
For the foregoing reasons, the Exchange believes that the proposal
is consistent with the Act.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
In accordance with Section 6(b)(8) of the Act,\18\ the Exchange
believes that the proposed rule change would not impose any burden on
competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act. Instead, as discussed above, the Exchange believes
that the proposed changes would encourage the submission of additional
liquidity to a public exchange, thereby promoting market depth, price
discovery and transparency and enhancing order execution opportunities
for LMMs. As a result, the Exchange believes that the proposed change
furthers the Commission's goal in adopting Regulation NMS of fostering
integrated competition among orders, which promotes ``more efficient
pricing of individual stocks for all types of orders, large and
small.'' \19\
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\18\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(8).
\19\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808, 70 FR 37495,
37498-99 (June 29, 2005) (S7-10-04) (Final Rule).
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Intramarket Competition. The proposed change is designed to attract
additional order flow to the Exchange. The Exchange believes that the
proposed Performance Metrics-based incremental credit applicable to
LMMs in Less Active ETPs (including Less Active Leveraged ETPs) and New
ETPs (including New Leveraged ETPs) in which they are registered as the
LMM would continue to incentivize market participants to direct their
displayed order flow to the Exchange. Greater liquidity benefits all
market participants on the Exchange by providing more trading
opportunities and encourages LMMs to send additional orders to the
Exchange, thereby contributing to robust levels of liquidity. The
proposed pricing incentive would be applicable to all similarly-
situated market participants that have obligations under Rule 7.23-E to
meet specified obligations, and, as such, the proposed changes would
not impose a disparate burden on competition among market participants
on the Exchange. Accordingly, the Exchange does not believe that the
proposed change will impair the ability of LMMs to maintain their
competitive standing. The Exchange does not believe that the proposed
change represents a significant departure from previous pricing offered
by the Exchange or its competitors.
Intermarket Competition. The Exchange operates in a highly
competitive market in which market 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. As noted
above, the Exchange's market share of intraday trading (i.e., excluding
auctions) is currently less than 12%. In such an environment, the
Exchange must continually adjust its fees and rebates to remain
competitive with other exchanges and with off-exchange venues. Because
competitors are free to modify their own fees and credits in response,
and because market participants may readily adjust their order routing
practices, the Exchange does not believe its proposed fee change can
impose any burden on intermarket competition. The Exchange believes
that the proposed rule change could promote competition between the
Exchange and other execution venues, including those that currently
offer comparable transaction pricing, by encouraging additional orders
to be sent to the Exchange for execution.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become effective upon filing pursuant
to Section 19(b)(3)(A) \20\ of the Act and paragraph (f) 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.
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\20\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
[[Page 13122]]
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-NYSEARCA-2024-13 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-NYSEARCA-2024-13. 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. 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-NYSEARCA-2024-13, and
should be submitted on or before March 13, 2024.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\21\
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\21\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-03453 Filed 2-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P