[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7639-7640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3250]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-66347; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2012-023]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change 
Relating to Post-Only Orders

February 7, 2012.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that 
on January 31, 2012, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the ``Exchange'' or 
``NASDAQ'') 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.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    NASDAQ is filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission'') a proposal for the NASDAQ Options Market (``NOM'') to 
change the date of implementation of Post-Only Orders from February 
2012 to March 2012. While the Exchange expects to implement the new 
order type by March 5, 2012, this date is not certain and the Exchange 
will announce the specific date via an Options Trader Alert.
    The text of the proposed rule change is available at http://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com/, at NASDAQ's principal office, and at the 
Commission's Public Reference Room.

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

    In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements 
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set 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, Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The Exchange recently adopted a new order type called Post-Only 
Order,\3\ which is an order that will not remove liquidity from the 
System and is to be ranked and executed on the Exchange or cancelled, 
as appropriate, without routing away to another market.\4\

[[Page 7640]]

Thereafter, the Exchange amended the order type and delayed 
implementation until February 2012.\5\ At this time, the Exchange 
proposes to delay implementation until March 2012. While the Exchange 
expects to implement the new order type by March 5, 2012, this date is 
not certain and the Exchange will announce the specific date via an 
Options Trader Alert. No further changes are proposed.
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    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 65761 (November 16, 
2011), 76 FR 72230 (November 22, 2011) (SR-NASDAQ-2011-152).
    \4\ Post-Only Orders are evaluated at the time of entry with 
respect to locking or crossing other orders as follows: (i) If a 
Post-Only Order would lock or cross an order on the System, the 
order will be re-priced to $.01 below the current low offer (for 
bids) or above the current best bid (for offers) and displayed by 
the System at one minimum price increment below the current low 
offer (for bids) or above the current best bid (for offers); and 
(ii) if a Post-Only Order would not lock or cross an order on the 
System but would lock or cross the national best bid or offer as 
reflected in the protected quotation of another market center, the 
order will be handled pursuant to Chapter VI, Section 7(b)(3)(C).
    \5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 65929 (December 9, 
2011), 76 FR 78057 (December 15, 2011) (SR-NASDAQ-2011-171).
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2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that its proposal is consistent with Section 
6(b) of the Act \6\ in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 
6(b)(5) of the Act \7\ in particular, in that it is designed to prevent 
fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and 
equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination 
with persons engaged in facilitating transactions in securities, and to 
remove impediments to and perfect the mechanisms of a free and open 
market and a national market system, and, in general, to protect 
investors and the public interest. The Exchange believes that delaying 
implementation should not be problematic for its participants, because 
it is a new order type, and, therefore, the proposal is designed to 
promote just and equitable principles of trade and protect investors 
and the public interest.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will 
impose any burden on competition not necessary or appropriate in 
furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    No written comments were either solicited or received.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A) of the Act \8\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(1) \9\ thereunder in that 
it constitutes a stated policy, practice, or interpretation with 
respect to the meaning, administration, or enforcement of an existing 
rule. Specifically, it does not change a rule, but rather affects the 
implementation date of an existing rule, as explained above.
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    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(1).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to 
determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

    <bullet> Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
    <bullet> Send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#addfd8c1c880cec2c0c0c8c3d9deeddec8ce83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a1d3d4cdc48cc2ceccccc4cfd5d2e1d2c4c28fc6ced7">[email protected]</span></a>. Please include 
File Number SR-NASDAQ-2012-023 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

    <bullet> Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, 
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NASDAQ-2012-023. This 
file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To 
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for 
inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All 
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does 
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should 
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All 
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NASDAQ-2012-023 and should 
be submitted on or before March 5, 2012.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\10\
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    \10\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-3250 Filed 2-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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