2011-7730. Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change by NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC Relating to Complex Order Fees

March 28, 2011.

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 March 21, 2011, NASDAQ OMX 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 Complex Order ^[3] Fees in Section I of its Fee Schedule titled Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing Liquidity in Select Symbols.

While changes to the Fee Schedule pursuant to this proposal are effective upon filing, the Exchange has designated these changes to be operative on April 1, 2011.

The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Website at http://nasdaqtrader.com/​micro.aspx?​id=​PHLXfilings,, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.

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

In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.

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

1. Purpose

The purpose of the proposed rule change is to amend Section I, Part B of the Exchange's Fee Schedule, titled “Complex Order” to pay a Customer Complex Order Rebate for Adding Liquidity of $0.25 per contract in certain symbols, specifically options overlying: (i) Standard and Poor's Depositary Receipts/SPDRs (“SPY”); ^[4] (ii) the PowerShares QQQ Trust (“QQQQ”)®; and Apple, Inc. (AAPL), in order to attract additional Customer order flow in those symbols.

Currently, the Exchange pays a $0.24 per contract Customer Complex Order Rebate for Adding Liquidity in all Select Symbols.^[5] The Exchange is proposing to pay a $0.25 per contract Rebate for Adding Liquidity for Customer Complex Orders in only the following symbols: SPY, QQQQ and AAPL. Other market participants would not be entitled to the Rebate for Adding Liquidity.^[6] The Exchange would continue to pay Customers a rebate of $0.24 per contract for transacting a Customer Complex Order in all other Select Symbols, except SPY, QQQ and AAPL which would receive the $0.25 per contract rebate.

The Exchange does not propose to amend the fees in Section I, Part A titled “Single contra-side order.”

2. Statutory Basis

The Exchange believes that its proposal to amend its Fee Schedule is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act ^[7] in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(4) of the Act ^[8] in particular, in that it is an equitable allocation of reasonable fees and other charges among Exchange members. The Exchange also believes that there is an equitable allocation of reasonable rebates among Exchange members.

The Exchange believes that it is reasonable to only pay a Rebate for Adding Liquidity to Customers because this Customer rebate would attract Customer order flow to the Exchange for the benefit of all market participants. The Exchange believes that the proposal is equitable because by paying a Rebate for Adding Liquidity to Customers, all market participants would benefit from the increased liquidity which increased Customer order flow would bring to the Exchange.

Further, the Exchange believes that it is reasonable to pay a different rebate for transacting equity options in certain symbols. NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) pays an additional $.05 per contract credit above the stated post liquidity credit for electronic transactions in options overlying SPY, C, BAC, QQQQ, AAPL, IWM, XLF, GLD, EEM, GE, UNG, FAZ, DIA, GDX, and USO which are referred to as the “premium tier.” ^[9] The Exchange is proposing to pay different rebates for different symbols similar to the manner in which NYSE Arca pays an additional contract credit in certain symbols.

The Exchange believes that its proposal to pay a higher rebate for transactions in equity options in SPY, QQQQ and AAPL, as compared to the other Select Symbols, is equitable because the Exchange would uniformly pay the same rebates for all Customer Complex Orders in these three symbols.

The Exchange operates in a highly competitive market comprised of nine U.S. options exchanges in which sophisticated and knowledgeable market participants can readily send order flow to competing exchanges if they deem fee levels at a particular exchange to be excessive. The Exchange believes that the Complex Order fees and rebates it assesses must be competitive with fees and rebates assessed in place on other exchanges. The Exchange believes that this competitive marketplace impacts the fees and rebates present on the Exchange today and influences the proposals set forth above.

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)(ii) of the Act.^[10] 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

• Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/​rules/​sro.shtml); or
• Send an e-mail to [e-mail]. Please include File Number SR-Phlx-2011-37 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

• 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-Phlx-2011-37. This file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail 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 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-Phlx-2011-37 and should be submitted on or before April 22, 2011.

For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.^[11]

Cathy H. Ahn,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).

2.  17 CFR 240.19b-4.

3.  A Complex Order is any order involving the simultaneous purchase and/or sale of two or more different options series in the same underlying security, priced at a net debit or credit based on the relative prices of the individual components, for the same account, for the purpose of executing a particular investment strategy. Furthermore, a Complex Order can also be a stock-option order, which is an order to buy or sell a stated number of units of an underlying stock or ETF coupled with the purchase or sale of options contract(s). See Exchange Rule 1080, Commentary .08(a)(i).

4.  SPY options are based on the SPDR exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), which is designed to track the performance of the S&P 500 Index.

5.  A list of all symbols subject to the Rebates and Fees for Adding and Removing Liquidity are listed in Section I of the Exchange's Fee Schedule and titled “Select Symbols.”

6.  The only market participant that receives a Rebate for Adding Liquidity for Complex Orders today is a Customer.

7.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b).

8.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).

9.  See NYSE Arca's Fee Schedule.

10.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).

11.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).