94-16749. Self-Regulatory Organizations; Order Approving Proposed Rule Change and Notice of Filing and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Proposed Rule Change by the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc. Relating to the Listing ...  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 12, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-16749]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: July 12, 1994]
    
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
    [Release No. 43- 34306; File No. SR-CBOE-94-05]
    
     
    
    Self-Regulatory Organizations; Order Approving Proposed Rule 
    Change and Notice of Filing and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of 
    Amendment No. 1 to Proposed Rule Change by the Chicago Board Options 
    Exchange, Inc. Relating to the Listing and Trading of Options and 
    Regular and Reduced-Value Long-Term Options on the CBOE Real Estate 
    Investment Trust Index
    
    July 5, 1994.
    
    I. Introduction
    
        On March 8, 1994, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc. 
    (``CBOE'' or ``Exchange'') submitted to the Securities and Exchange 
    Commission (``Commission''), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the 
    Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'')\1\ and Rule 19b-4 
    thereunder,\2\ a proposed rule change to provide for the listing and 
    trading of options and long-term options (``LEAPS'')\3\ on the CBOE's 
    Real Estate Investment Trust (``REIT'') Index (``REIT Index'' or 
    ``Index''), and LEAPS on a reduced-value REIT Index. On June 14, 1994, 
    the CBOE filed Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change.\4\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \1\15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1) (1988).
        \2\17 CFR 240.19b-4 (1993).
        \3\``LEAPS'' is an acronym for Long-Term Equity Anticipation 
    Securities. LEAPS are long-term index option series that expire from 
    12 to 36 months from their date of issuance. See CBOE Rule 
    24.9(b)(1).
        \4\In Amendment No. 1, the CBOE: (1) advised that surveillance 
    procedures currently used to monitor trading in each of the 
    Exchange's other index options also will be used to monitor trading 
    in regular Index options and in full-value and reduced-value LEAPS 
    on the Index; and (2) advised that the REIT Index will be calculated 
    and disseminated to the Options Price Reporting Authority (``OPRA'') 
    every 15 seconds by the CBOE, based on the last-sale prices of the 
    component stocks, and that OPRA in turn will disseminate the Index 
    value to other financial vendors such as Reuters, Telerate, and 
    Quotron. See Letter from Scott Lyden, Senior Research Analyst, CBOE, 
    to Thomas McManus, Division of Market Regulation Commission, dated 
    June 13, 1994.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        Notice of the Exchange's proposed rule change appeared in the 
    Federal Register on April 19, 1994.\5\ No comment letters were received 
    on the proposal. This order approves the proposal and Amendment No. 1 
    thereto.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \5\See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 33872 (April 7, 
    1994), 59 FR 17804 (April 14, 1994).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    II. Description of the Proposal
    
    A. General
    
        The CBOE proposes to list and trade options on the REIT Index, a 
    new securities index developed by the CBOE and based on REITs that are 
    traded on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (``NYSE'') and American 
    Stock Exchange, Inc. (``Amex''). The CBOE also proposes to list LEAPS 
    on the full-value Index and LEAPS on a reduced-value Index that will be 
    computed at one-tenth of the value of the REIT Index. REIT Index LEAPS 
    will trade independent of and in addition to regular REIT Index options 
    traded on the Exchange;\6\ however, as discussed below, position and 
    exercise limits of Index LEAPS and regular Index options will be 
    aggregated.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \6\According to the CBOE, the REIT Index represents a segment of 
    the U.S. equity market that is not currently represented in the 
    derivative markets and, as such, the CBOE concludes, should offer 
    investors a low-cost means of achieving diversification or to tilt 
    their portfolios toward, or away from, real estate investments. The 
    CBOE believes that the Index will provide retail and institutional 
    investors with a means of benefitting from their forecasts about the 
    financial performance of REITS and their underlying real estate 
    assets. Options on the Index also may be utilized by portfolio 
    managers and investors to provide a performance measure and 
    evaluation guide for passively and actively managed REITS, as well 
    as a means of hedging the risks of investing in real estate 
    generally, the REIT stocks in particular.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    B. Composition of the Index
    
        The Index is based on securities representing 25 REIT stocks that 
    the Exchange believes are representative of the REIT markets. The CBOE 
    represents that the 25 REIT stocks have invested a preponderance of 
    their assets in real property (typically at least 75 percent), and the 
    property portfolios owned by these REITs constitute a diverse pool of 
    income-earning real estate investments.
        Twenty-three of the REIT stocks currently trade on the NYSE, and 
    two trade on the Amex. All component stocks are ``reported 
    securities,'' as that term is defined in Rule 11Aa3-1 under the Act.\7\ 
    The Index is price-weighted and will be calculated on a real-time basis 
    using last sale prices.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \7\See 17 CFR 240.11Aa3-1. A ``reported security'' is defined in 
    paragraph (a)(4) of this rule as ``any listed equity security or 
    Nasdaq security for which transaction reports are required to be 
    made on a real-time basis pursuant to an effective transaction 
    reporting plan.'' A ``transaction reporting plan'' is defined in 
    paragraph (a)(2) of this rule as ``any plan for collecting, 
    processing, making available or disseminating transaction reports 
    with respect to transactions in reported securities filed with the 
    Commission pursuant to, and meeting the requirements of, this 
    section.''
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        As of the close of trading on June 10, 1994, the Index was valued 
    at 212.55.\8\ As of the close of trading on February 14, 1994, the 
    market capitalizations of the individual securities in the Index ranged 
    from a high of $1.1 billion (New Plan Reality) to a low of $220.2 
    million (Western Investment Real Estate Trust), with a mean and median 
    of $541.9 million and $518.7 million, respectively. The total market 
    capitalization of the securities in the Index was $13.5 billion. The 
    total number of shares outstanding for the REITs in the Index ranged 
    from a high of 49.1 million shares (New Plan Realty) to a low of 10.9 
    million shares (BRE Properties). The average price per share of the 
    securities in the Index, for the six-month period preceding February 
    14, 1994,\9\ ranged from a high of $39.90 (Weingarten Realty Investors) 
    to a low of $6.99 (Rockefeller Center Properties). In addition, the 
    average daily trading volume of the REITs in the Index ranged from a 
    high of 560,210 shares per day (Simon Property Group)\10\ to a low of 
    15,330 shares per day (BRE Properties), with the mean and median being 
    94,900 and 49,100 shares, respectively. Lastly, no one REIT accounted 
    for more than 6.5 percent of the Index's total value (Weingarten Realty 
    Investors and Nationwide Health Properties), and the percentage 
    weighting of the five largest issues in the Index accounted for 30.2 
    percent of the Index's value. The percentage weighting of the lowest 
    weighted component was 1.1 percent of the Index (Rockefeller Center 
    Properties) and the percentage weighting of the five smallest issues 
    accounted for 10.2 percent of the Index's value.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \8\The index value was set to equal 200.00 on the base date of 
    the Index, January 3, 1994. See Letter from Dan W. Schneider, Schiff 
    Hardin & Waite, to Thomas McManus, Branch of Options Regulation, 
    Division of Market Regulation, Commission, dated March 22, 1994.
        \9\Trading data for these preceding six months were available 
    for nineteen of the REIT stocks in the Index. Six of the component 
    REIT stocks commenced trading at various points of time within that 
    six month period.
        \10\Simon Property Group commenced trading on December 14, 1993. 
    The highest average daily trading volume for a REIT stock which 
    traded for the full six month period prior to February 14, 1994 was 
    122,800 shares (Rockefeller Center Properties).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        Four of the component stocks are currently the subject of trading 
    in equity options, and the balance of the component stocks meet the 
    criteria for allowing the listing of equity options under CBOE Rule 
    5.3.
    
    C. Maintenance
    
        The Index will be maintained by the CBOE. The CBOE may change the 
    composition of the Index at any time, subject to compliance with the 
    maintenance criteria discussed herein, to reflect conditions in REIT 
    markets. If it becomes necessary to replace a security in the Index, 
    the Exchange represents that it will make every effort to add new REITs 
    that are representative of REIT markets as a whole and will take into 
    account the capitalization, liquidity, volatility, and name recognition 
    of the proposed replacement security. Further, securities may be 
    replaced in the event of certain corporate events, such as takeovers or 
    mergers, that change the nature of the security. If, however, the 
    Exchange determines to increase the number of Index component 
    securities to greater than 33 or reduce the number of Index component 
    securities to fewer than 17, the CBOE will seek and obtain Commission 
    approval pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act before listing new 
    strike price or expiration month series of REIT Index options and Index 
    LEAPS. In addition, in choosing replacement securities for the Index, 
    the CBOE will be required to ensure that at least 90 percent of the 
    weight of the Index continues to be comprised of REITs that are 
    eligible for standardized options trading.\11\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \11\The CBOE's options listing standards, which are uniform 
    among the options exchanges, provide that a security underlying an 
    option must, among other things, meet the following requirements: 
    (1) the public float must be at least 7,000,000 shares; (2) there 
    must be a minimum of 2,000 shareholders; (3) trading volume must 
    have been at least 2.4 million shares over the preceding 12 months; 
    and (4) the market price must have been at least $7.50 for a 
    majority of the business days during the preceding three calendar 
    months. See CBOE Rule 5.3.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    D. Applicability of CBOE Rules Regarding Index Options
    
        The rules in Chapter XXIV of the CBOE Rules will be applicable to 
    REIT Index options and full-value and reduced-value Index LEAPS. Those 
    rules address, among other things, the applicable position and exercise 
    limits, policies regarding trading halts and suspensions, and margin 
    treatment for narrow-based index options.
    
    E. Calculation of the Index
    
        The REIT Index is a price-weighted index and reflects changes in 
    the prices of the Index component securities relative to the Index's 
    base date of January 3, 1994. Specifically, the Index value is 
    calculated by adding the prices of the component REITs and then 
    dividing this summation by a divisor that is equal to the number of 
    components of the Index to get the average price. To maintain the 
    continuity of the Index, the divisor will be adjusted to reflect non-
    market changes in the prices of the component securities as well as 
    changes in the composition of the Index. Changes that may result in 
    divisor adjustments include, but are not limited to, removal and 
    replacement of a component REIT stock, component stock splits, and the 
    financial restructuring of a component stock.
        The Index will be calculated continuously and will be disseminated 
    to OPRA every 15 seconds by the CBOE, based on the last-sale prices of 
    the component REITs.\12\ OPRA, in turn, will disseminate the Index 
    value to other financial vendors such as Reuters, Telerate, and 
    Quotron.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \12\For purposes of the daily dissemination of the Index value, 
    if a REIT included in the Index has not opened for trading, the CBOE 
    will use the closing value of that stock on the prior trading day 
    when calculating the value of the Index, until the stock opens for 
    trading.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    F. Contract Specifications
    
        The proposed options on the Index will be cash-settled, European-
    style options.\13\ Standard options trading hours (8:30 a.m. to 3:10 
    p.m. Central Standard Time) will apply to the contracts. The Index 
    multiplier will be 100. The strike price interval will be $5.00 for 
    full-value Index options with a duration of one year or less to 
    expiration.\14\ In addition, pursuant to CBOE Rule 24.9, there may be 
    up to six expiration months outstanding at any given time. 
    Specifically, there may be up to three expiration months from the 
    March, June, September, and December cycle, plus up to three additional 
    near-term months so that the two nearest-term months will always be 
    available. As described in more detail below, the Exchange also intends 
    to list several Index LEAPS series that expire from 12 to 36 months 
    from the date of issuance.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \13\A European-style option can be exercised only during a 
    specified period before the option expires.
        \14\For a description of the strike price intervals for regular 
    and reduced-value Index LEAPS, see infra Section II.H.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    G. Settlement of Index Options
    
        Options on the Index will expire on the Saturday following the 
    third Friday of the expiration month (``Expiration Friday''), and the 
    last trading day for an expiring Index option series will normally be 
    the second to last business day before Expiration Friday (normally a 
    Thursday). The Index value for purposes of settling outstanding regular 
    Index options and Index LEAPS contracts upon expiration will be 
    calculated based upon the regular way opening sale prices for each of 
    the Index's component securities in their primary market on the last 
    trading day prior to expiration (i.e., Expiration Friday). Once all of 
    the component REITs have opened, the value of the Index will be 
    determined and that value will be used as the final settlement value 
    for expiring Index options contracts. If any of the component REITs do 
    not open for trading on the last trading day before expiration, then 
    the prior trading day's (i.e., normally a Thursday) last sale price 
    will be used in the Index calculation. In this regard, before deciding 
    to use Thursday's closing value of a component security for purposes of 
    determining the settlement value of the Index, the CBOE will wait until 
    the end of the trading day on Expiration Friday.
    
    H. Listing of Long-Term Options on the Full-Value or Reduced-Value REIT 
    Index
    
        The Exchange's proposal provides that the Exchange may list LEAPS 
    that expire from 12 to 36 months from the listing based on the full-
    value REIT Index or a reduced-value REIT Index that will be computed at 
    one-tenth the value of the full-value Index, subject to existing 
    Exchange requirements applicable to full-value and reduced-value 
    LEAPS.\15\ The current and closing Index value for reduced-value REIT 
    Index LEAPS will be computed by dividing the value of the full-value 
    Index by ten and rounding the resulting figure to the nearest one-
    hundredth. For example, an Index value of 212.55 would be 21.26 for the 
    reduced-value Index LEAPS, and 212.54 would become 21.25. The reduced-
    value Index LEAPS will have a European-style exercise and will be 
    subject to the same rules that govern the trading of all of the 
    Exchange's index options, including sales practice rules, margin 
    requirements, and floor trading procedures. Pursuant to CBOE Rule 24.9, 
    the strike price interval for the reduced-value Index LEAPS will be no 
    less than $2.50, instead of $5.00.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \15\See CBOE Rule 24.9(b).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    I. Position and Exercise Limits, Margin Requirements, and Trading Halts
    
        Because the Index is classified as an ``industry index'' under CBOE 
    rules,\16\ Exchange rules that are applicable to the trading of options 
    on narrow-based indexes will apply to the trading of REIT Index options 
    and LEAPS. Specifically, Exchange rules governing margin 
    requirements,\17\ position and exercise limits,\18\ and trading halt 
    procedures\19\ that are applicable to the trading of narrow-based index 
    options will apply to options traded on the Index. For purposes of 
    determining whether a given position in reduced-value Index LEAPS 
    complies with applicable position and exercise limits, positions in 
    reduced-value Index LEAPS will be aggregated with positions in the 
    full-value Index options.\20\ For these purposes, ten reduced-value 
    contracts will equal one full-value contract.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \16\See CBOE Rule 24.1(i).
        \17\Pursuant to CBOE Rule 24.11, the margin requirements for the 
    Index options will be: (1) for short options positions, 100 percent 
    of the current market value of the options contract plus 20 percent 
    of the underlying aggregate Index value, less any out-of-the-money 
    amount, with a minimum requirement of the options premium plus 10 
    percent of the underlying aggregate Index value; and (2) for LEAPS 
    positions, 100 percent of the options premium paid.
        \18\Pursuant to CBOE Rules 24.4A and 24.5, respectively, the 
    position and exercise limits for the Index options will be 10,500 
    contracts, unless the Exchange determines, pursuant to Rules 24.4A 
    and 24.5, that a lower limit is warranted.
        \19\Pursuant to CBOE Rule 24.7, the trading on the CBOE of Index 
    options may be halted or suspended whenever trading in underlying 
    securities whose weighted value represents more than 20 percent of 
    the Index value is halted or suspended.
        \20\See CBOE Rule 24.4A(c).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    J. Surveillance
    
        Surveillance procedures currently used to monitor trading in each 
    of the Exchange's other index options also will be used to monitor 
    trading in regular Index options and in full-value and reduced-value 
    Index LEAPS. These procedures include complete access to trading 
    activity in the underlying securities. Further, the Intermarket 
    Surveillance Group Agreement, dated July 14, 1983, as amended on 
    January 29, 1990, will be applicable to the trading of options on the 
    Index.\21\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \21\The Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG'') was formed on 
    July 14, 1983, among other things, to coordinate more effectively 
    surveillance and investigative information sharing arrangements in 
    the stock and options markets. See Intermarket Surveillance Group 
    Agreement, dated July 14, 1983. The most recent amendment to the ISG 
    Agreement, which incorporates the original agreement and all 
    amendments made thereafter, was signed by ISG members on January 29, 
    1990. See Second Amendment to Intermarket Surveillance Group 
    Agreement, dated January 29, 1990. The members of the ISG are: the 
    Amex, the Boston Stock Exchange, Inc.; the CBOE; the Chicago Stock 
    Exchange, Inc.; the National Association of Securities Dealers, 
    Inc.; the NYSE; the Pacific Stock Exchange, Inc.; and the 
    Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Inc. Because of potential opportunities 
    for trading abuses involving stock index futures, stock options, and 
    the underlying stock, and the need for greater sharing of 
    surveillance information for these potential intermarket trading 
    abuses, the major stock index futures exchanges (e.g.,  the Chicago 
    Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade) joined the ISG 
    as affiliate members in 1990.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    III. Commission Findings and Conclusions
    
        The Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent 
    with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations 
    thereunder applicable to a national securities exchange, and, in 
    particular, the requirements of Section 6(b)(5).\22\ Specifically, the 
    Commission finds that the trading of REIT Index options, including 
    full-value and reduced-value REIT Index LEAPS, will serve to promote 
    the public interest and help to remove impediments to a free and open 
    securities market by providing investors with a means of hedging 
    exposure to market risk associated with REIT securities.\23\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \22\15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5) (1988).
        \23\Pursuant to Section 6(b)(5) of the Act, the Commission must 
    predicate approval of any new option proposal upon a finding that 
    the introduction of such new derivative instrument is in the public 
    interest. Such a finding would be difficult for a derivative 
    instrument that served no hedging or other economic function, 
    because any benefits that might be derived by market participants 
    likely would be outweighed by the potential for manipulation, 
    diminished public confidence in the integrity of the markets, and 
    other valid regulatory concerns. In this regard, the trading of 
    listed index options and full-value index LEAPS on the REIT Index 
    will provide investors with a hedging vehicle that should reflect 
    the overall movement of REIT securities in the U.S. securities 
    markets. The Commission also believes that these Index options will 
    provide investors with a means by which to make investment decisions 
    in the REIT sector of the U.S. securities markets, allowing them to 
    establish positions or increase existing positions in such markets 
    in a cost-effective manner. Moreover, the Commission believes that 
    the reduced-value Index LEAPS, which will be traded on an index 
    computed at one-tenth the value of the REIT index, will serve the 
    needs of retail investors by providing them with the opportunity to 
    use a long-term option to hedge their portfolios from long-term 
    market moves at a reduced cost.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        However, the trading of options on the REIT Index, including full-
    value and reduced-value LEAPS on the Index, raises several concerns, 
    namely issues related to index design, customer protection, 
    surveillance, and market impact. The Commission believes, for the 
    reasons discussed below, that the CBOE has adequately addressed these 
    concerns.
    
    A. Index Design and Structure
    
        The Commission finds that the REIT Index is a narrow-based index. 
    The REIT Index is composed of only 25 securities, all of which are REIT 
    stocks.\24\ Accordingly, the Commission believes that it is appropriate 
    for the CBOE to apply its rules governing narrow-based index options to 
    trading in the Index options.\25\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \24\The reduced-value REIT Index, which is composed of the same 
    component securities as the Index, is identical to the REIT Index, 
    except that it is calculated by dividing the Index value by ten.
        \25\See supra notes 16 through 20, and accompanying text.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        The Commission also finds that the large capitalizations, liquid 
    markets, and relative weightings of the Index's component securities 
    significantly minimize the potential for manipulation of the Index. 
    First, the majority of the components that comprise the Index are 
    actively-traded, with a mean and median average daily trading volume of 
    94,900 and 49,100 shares, respectively.\26\ Second, the market 
    capitalizations of the securities in the Index are very large, ranging 
    from a high of $1.1 billion to a low of $220.2 million, as of February 
    14, 1994, with the mean and median being $541.9 million and $518.7 
    million, respectively. Third, although the Index is only comprised of 
    25 component securities, no one particular security or group of 
    securities dominates the Index. Specifically, no individual REIT stock 
    comprises more than 6.5 percent of the Index's total value, and the 
    percentage weighting of the five largest issues in the Index account 
    for 30.2 percent of the Index's value.\27\ Fourth all of the securities 
    in the Index are eligible for standardized options trading (four of 
    which currently underlie exchange-listed options).\28\ The proposed 
    CBOE maintenance requirement that at least 90 percent of the weighting 
    of the Index be comprised of securities that are eligible for options 
    trading will ensure that the Index is always substantially comprised of 
    options eligible securities. Fifth, if the CBOE increases the number of 
    component securities to more than 33 or decreases that number to less 
    than 17, the CBOE will be required to seek Commission approval pursuant 
    to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act before listing new strike price or 
    expiration month series of REIT Index options and Index LEAPS. This 
    will help protect against material changes in the composition and 
    design of the Index that might adversely affect the CBOE's obligations 
    to protect investors and to maintain fair and orderly markets in REIT 
    Index options and Index LEAPS. Sixth, the CBOE will be required to 
    ensure that each component of the Index is subject to last sale 
    reporting requirements in the United States. This will further reduce 
    the potential for manipulation of the value of the Index. Finally, the 
    Commission believes that the expense of attempting to manipulate the 
    value of the REIT Index in any significant way through trading in 
    component REITs, coupled with existing mechanisms to monitor trading 
    activity in those securities, as discussed below, will help deter such 
    illegal activity.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \26\In addition, for the six month period prior to February 14, 
    1994, no component of the Index had an average daily trading volume 
    of less than 15,300 shares per day.
        \27\For an index with a significantly greater number of 
    securities than 25 issues, the Commission might come to a different 
    conclusion if only a few securities accounted for a significant 
    portion of the index's weighting. Further, if an index contained 
    only a few stocks, the Commission might question whether it could be 
    traded as an index product.
        \28\See supra note 11.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    B. Customer Protection
    
        The Commission believes that a regulatory system designed to 
    protect public customers must be in place before the trading of 
    sophisticated financial instruments, such as REIT Index options 
    (including full-value and reduced-value Index LEAPS), can commence on a 
    national securities exchange. The Commission notes that the trading of 
    standardized, exchange-traded options occurs in an environment that is 
    designed to ensure, among other things, that: (1) the special risks of 
    options are disclosed to public customers; (2) only investors capable 
    of evaluating and bearing the risks of options trading are engaged in 
    such trading; and (3) special compliance procedures are applicable to 
    options accounts. Accordingly, because the Index options and Index 
    LEAPS will be subject to the same regulatory regime as the other 
    standardized options currently traded on the CBOE, the Commission 
    believes that adequate safeguards are in place to ensure the protection 
    of investors in REIT Index options and full-value and reduced-value 
    REIT Index LEAPS.
    
    C. Surveillance
    
        The Commission believes that a surveillance sharing agreement 
    between an exchange proposing to list a security index derivative 
    product and the exchange(s) trading the securities underlying the 
    derivative product is an important measure for surveillance of the 
    derivative and underlying securities markets. Such agreements ensure 
    the availability of information necessary to detect and deter potential 
    manipulations and other trading abuses, thereby making the security 
    index product less readily susceptible to manipulation.\29\ In this 
    regard, the NYSE and the Amex, which currently are the primary markets 
    for the REITs comprising the Index, are both members of the ISG, which 
    provides for the exchange of all necessary surveillance 
    information.\30\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \29\Securities Exchange Act Release No. 31243 (September 28, 
    1992), 57 FR 45849 (October 5, 1992).
        \30\See supra note 21.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    D. Market Impact
    
        The Commission believes that the listing and trading on the CBOE of 
    options on the REIT Index, including full-value and reduced-value Index 
    LEAPS, will not adversely impact the underlying securities markets.\31\ 
    First, as described above, for the most part no one security or group 
    of securities dominates the Index. Second, because at least 90 percent 
    of the numerical value of the Index must be accounted for by securities 
    that meet the Exchange's options listing standards, the component 
    securities generally will be actively-traded, highly-capitalized 
    securities. Third, the 10,500 contract position and exercise limits 
    applicable to Index options and Index LEAPS will serve to minimize 
    potential manipulation and market impact concerns. Fourth, the risk to 
    investors of contra-party non-performance will be minimized because the 
    Index options and Index LEAPS will be issued and guaranteed by The 
    Options Clearing Corporation just like any other standardized option 
    traded in the United States.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \31\In addition, the CBOE has represented that the CBOE and OPRA 
    have the necessary systems capacity to support those new series of 
    index options that would result from the introduction of options and 
    LEAPS on the REIT Index. See Letter from Joseph P. Corrigan, 
    Executive Director, OPRA, to Eileen Smith, CBOE, dated February 25, 
    1994.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        Lastly, the Commission believes that settling expiring REIT Index 
    options (including full-value and reduced-value Index LEAPS) based on 
    the opening prices of component securities is consistent with the Act. 
    As noted in other contexts, valuing options for exercise settlement on 
    expiration based on opening prices rather than closing prices may help 
    reduce adverse effects on markets for securities underlying options on 
    the Index.\32\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \32\See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 30944 (July 21, 
    1992), 57 FR 33376 (July 28, 1992).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    E. Accelerated Approval of Amendment No. 1
    
        The Commission finds good cause for approving Amendment No. 1 to 
    the Exchange's proposed rule change prior to the thirtieth day after 
    the date of publication on notice of filing thereof in the Federal 
    Register. Amendment No. 1 merely clarifies the proposed rule change by 
    making specific representations with respect to surveillance and Index 
    value dissemination. These representations are identical in all 
    material respects to those made by the Exchange in connection with 
    similar proposals to list options on stock indexes.\33\ Therefore, the 
    Commission finds that no new regulatory issues are raised by Amendment 
    No. 1. Accordingly, the Commission believes it is consistent with 
    Sections 19(b)(2) and 6(b)(5) of the Act to approve Amendment No. 1 to 
    the Exchange's proposal on an accelerated basis.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \33\See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No. 33962 (April 
    25, 1994), 59 FR 22874 (May 3, 1994).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    IV. Solicitation of Comments
    
        Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
    arguments concerning Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change. 
    Persons making written submissions should file six copies thereof with 
    the Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, 
    N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of the submission, all subsequent 
    amendments, all written statements with respect to the foregoing that 
    are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating 
    to the foregoing 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. Sec. 552, will be available for inspection and 
    copying in the Commission's Public Reference Section, 450 Fifth Street, 
    N.W. Washington, D.C. Copies of such filings also will be available for 
    inspection and copying at the principal office of the above-mentioned 
    self-regulatory organization. All submissions should refer to File No. 
    SR-CBOE-94-05, and should be submitted by August 2, 1994.
        It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the 
    Act,\34\ that the proposed rule change (File No. SR-CBOE-94-05), as 
    amended, is approved.
    
        \34\15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2) (1988).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        For the Commission, by the Division of Market Regulation, 
    pursuant to delegated authority.\35\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \35\17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12) (1993).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Margaret H. McFarland,
    Deputy Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 94-16749 Filed 7-11-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 8010-01-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
07/12/1994
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Document Number:
94-16749
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: July 12, 1994, Release No. 43- 34306, File No. SR-CBOE-94-05