00-31799. Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing by Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc., Relating to RAES Eligibility Requirements for SPX Options

December 5, 2000.

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 September 20, 2000, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (“CBOE” or “Exchange”) 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.

I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

The Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc. (“CBOE” or the “Exchange”) proposes to amend Rule 24.16, which governs the eligibility requirements of Market-Makers to participate on the Exchange's Retail Automatic Execution System (“RAES”) in options on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (“SPX”).

The text of the proposed rule change is available at the CBOE and the Commission.

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 CBOE 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 CBOE 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 Rule 24.16, “RAES Eligibility in SPX,” to: (1) eliminate the in-person and volume quotas from the eligibility requirements of Rule 24.16; and (2) eliminate the cap on the maximum number of Market-Makers that may participate in a RAES group. The proposed rule changes will make the RAES eligibility requirements of SPX Market-Makers the same as for other Market-Makers in non-index option classes and will enhance the depth and liquidity of the RAES markets in SPX.

Currently, Rule 24.16(a)(iv) sets forth four eligibility requirements that a Market-Maker must meet before he or she can participate in RAES in SPX. One of these requirements is that the Market-Maker must execute at least fifty percent of his or her Market-Maker contracts for the preceding calendar month in SPX. Another requirement is that the Market-Maker must execute at least seventy-five percent of his or her Market-Maker trades for the preceding calendar month in SPX in person. No comparable RAES eligibility requirements are imposed upon Market-Makers trading in non-index option classes. The Exchange proposes to eliminate the in-person and volume quotas from the eligibility requirements of Rule 24.16, so that the RAES eligibility requirements of SPX Market-Makers are the same as for other Market-Makers.

Recently, Market-Maker participation on RAES in index options has been low compared to historical levels. This problem has been aggravated by the fact that the in-person and volume requirements have forced the Exchange to delay new Market-Makers who wish to participate on RAES from logging onto RAES for at least 30 days. The proposed rule change would allow a new Market-Maker to log onto RAES so long as that Market-Maker: (1) Has signed the RAES Participation Agreement and completed the RAES instructional program (Rule 24.16(a); (2) has been approved under Exchange Rules as a Market-Maker with a letter of guarantee (Rule 24.16(a)(iv)(A)); and (3) maintains his or her principal business on the CBOE as a Market-Maker (Rule 24.16(a)(iv)(B)).

The Exchange also proposes to eliminate the cap on the maximum number of Market-Makers that may participate in a RAES group ^[3] set forth in Rule 24.16(e). Currently, Rule 24.16(e) provides that a RAES group may not exceed the maximum number of RAES participants set by the appropriate Market Performance Committee from time to time, which in no event may be set higher than thirty-three and one-third percent of the average number of RAES participants for the prior quarter. The recent decline in RAES participation in index options has resulted in imposed reductions in the RAES group size due to the application of this size limit.

The proposed rule change would conform Rule 24.16 to the Exchange Rule governing RAES eligibility for equity options, Rule 8.16, which does not impose in-person and volume requirements on equity options Market-Makers. The Exchange believes that by making the SPX RAES eligibility rule consistent with the rule for equity Market-Makers, the proposed rule change will provide the SPX market with enhanced capital and market-making expertise while maintaining the overall quality of the market. By increasing the number of RAES participants in SPX, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change will further assure the availability of RAES during periods of market volatility.

2. Statutory Basis

The proposed rule change is consistent with and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act ^[4] in that it is designed to remove impediments to a free and open market and to protect investors and the public interest.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

The CBOE does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose a burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of 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 solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change.

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

Within 35 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:

(A) by order approve such proposed rule change, or

(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be 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. Persons making written submissions should file six copies thereof with the Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. 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 inspection and copying in the Commission's Public Reference Room. Copies of such filing will also be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of CBOE. All submissions should refer to File No. SR-CBOE-00-49 and should be submitted by January 4, 2001.

For the Commission, by the Division of Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated authority.^[5]

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).

2.  17 C.F.R. 240.19b-4.

3.  A RAES group is an account whereby members of a joint account may participate on the system at the same time and assign their RAES trades to a designated joint account or nominee acronym.

4.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).

5.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).