2015-27353. Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend Interpretive Material 1 to Rule 7170 To Extend the Pilot Program That Suspends Certain Obvious Error ...

October 22, 2015.

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 October 21, 2015, BOX Options Exchange LLC (the “Exchange”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule from interested persons.

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

The Exchange proposes to amend Interpretive Material 1 to Rule 7170 to extend the pilot program that suspends certain obvious error provisions during limit up-limit down states in securities that underlie options traded on the Exchange. The text of the proposed rule change is available from the principal office of the Exchange, at the Commission's Public Reference Room and also on the Exchange's Internet Web site at http://boxexchange.com.

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 these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The self-regulatory organization 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 this filing is to extend the effectiveness of the pilot that permits the Exchange to suspend certain provisions in BOX Rule 7170 (Obvious and Catastrophic Errors) during limit up-limit down states in securities that underlie options traded on the Exchange (“Pilot”). The Pilot is currently scheduled to expire on October 23, 2015. BOX proposes to extend the pilot program to coincide with the pilot period for the Plan to Address Extraordinary Market Volatility Pursuant to Rule 608 of Regulation NMS under the Act (the “Limit Up- Limit Down Plan” or the “Plan”), including any extensions to the pilot period for the Plan.^[3]

The Pilot allows the Exchange to exclude transactions executed during a Limit State or Straddle State from provisions in BOX Rule 7170. This does not prevent the execution from being reviewed on the Official's own motion pursuant to sub-paragraph (c)(3) of Rule 7170, or a bust or adjust pursuant to paragraphs (e) through (k) of Rule 7170.

The remaining provisions in BOX Rule 7170 provide a process by which a transaction may be busted or adjusted when the execution price of a transaction deviates from the option's theoretical price by a certain amount. Under these provisions, the theoretical price is the national best bid price for the option with respect to a sell order and the national best offer for the option with respect to a buy order. During a Limit State or Straddle State, options prices may deviate substantially from those available prior to or following the limit state. Consequently, the Exchange believed that these provisions would be impracticable given the lack of a reliable national best bid or offer in the options market during Limit States and Straddle States, and could produce undesirable effects.

The Exchange proposes to extend the operation of this Pilot to coincide with the pilot period for the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan, including any extensions to the pilot period for the Plan so that it may continue to analyze the impact of the Limit and Straddle States. The Exchange will also continue to evaluate whether adopting a provision for reviewing trades on its own motion during Limit and Straddle States is necessary and appropriate.

Additionally, the Exchange represents that it will conduct its own analysis concerning the elimination of the obvious error rule during Limit and Straddle States and agrees to provide the Commission with relevant data to assess the impact of the Pilot. As part of its analysis, the Exchange will evaluate (1) the options market quality during Limit and Straddle States, (2) assess the character of incoming order flow and transactions during Limit and Straddle States, and (3) review any complaints from members and their customers concerning executions during Limit and Straddle States. The Exchange also agrees to provide to the Commission data requested to evaluate the impact of the elimination of the obvious error rule, including data relevant to assessing the various analyses noted above. Specifically, the Exchange agrees to an assessment that evaluates the statistical and economic impact of Straddle States on liquidity and market quality in the options markets; and assess whether the lack of obvious error rules in effect during the Straddle and Limit States is problematic.

The Exchange agrees to provide the analysis and data to the Commission to help evaluate the impact of the Pilot no later than five months prior to the pilot expiration, including any extensions. If the plan extension is approved the next data assessment will be due December 18th, 2015. On a monthly basis, the Exchange shall provide both the Commission and public a dataset containing the data for each Straddle and Limit State in optionable stocks.^[4]

Finally, the Exchange proposes to remove subparagraph (d) to IM-7080-1. The Exchange believes this provision is no longer necessary and doing so will further harmonize the Exchange's Obvious Error rules with the rules of other options exchanges also on the pilot.

2. Statutory Basis

The Exchange believes that the proposal is consistent with the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act,^[5] in general, and Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,^[6] in particular, in that it is designed to foster cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, processing information with respect to, and facilitating transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism for a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest. In particular, the proposal to make the pilot period coincide with the pilot period for the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan, including any extensions to the pilot period for the Plan, will allow the Pilot to remain in effect until the end of the pilot period of the Plan to Address Extraordinary Market Volatility (“Plan”).^[7] The Exchange believes that it continues to be necessary and appropriate in the interest of promoting fair and orderly markets to exclude transactions executed during a Limit State or Straddle State from the provision of BOX Rule 7170. Specifically the Exchange believes the application of the current rule will be impracticable given the lack of a reliable national best bid or offer in the options market during Limit States and Straddle States, and that the resulting actions (i.e., busted trades or adjusted prices) may not be appropriate given market conditions.

Finally, the Exchange removing subparagraph (d) to IM-7080-1 will add clarity to market participants by harmonizing the Exchange's Obvious Error rules with the rules of other options exchanges also on the pilot.

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

Because the proposed rule change does not impose any new or additional burden on BOX Options Participants, and only amends the current Pilot to coincide with the pilot period for the Limit-up Limit Down Plan, 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

The Exchange has neither solicited nor received comments on the proposed rule change.

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

Because the proposed rule change does not (i) significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as the Commission may designate if consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act^[8] and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.^[9]

The Exchange has asked the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal may become operative immediately upon filing. The Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest, as it will allow the obvious error pilot program to continue uninterrupted while the industry gains further experience operating under the Plan, and avoid any investor confusion that could result from a temporary interruption in the pilot program. For this reason, the Commission designates the proposed rule change to be operative upon filing.^[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 email to [e-mail]. Please include File Number SR-BOX-2015-34 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-BOX-2015-34. 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 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 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-BOX-2015-34, and should be submitted on or before November 18, 2015.

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

Brent J. Fields,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).

2.  17 CFR 240.19b-4.

3.  See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 75917 (September 14, 2015), 80 FR 56515 (September 18, 2015)(Joint Industry Plan; Notice of Filing of the Ninth Amendment to the National Market System Plan to Address Extraordinary Market Volatility). The pilot period for the Plan is proposed to be extended through April 22, 2016.

4.  The dataset will include the options for each underlying security that reaches a limit or straddle state and has at least one (1) trade on the Exchange during the straddle or limit state. For each of those options affected the data record will contain the stock symbol, option symbol, time at the start of the straddle or limit state, an indicator for whether it is a straddle or limit state. For activity on the Exchange the data record will contain the executed volume, time-weighted quoted bid-ask spread, time-weighted average quoted depth at the bid, time-weighted average quoted depth at the offer, high execution price, low execution price, number of trades for which a request for review for error was received during straddle or limit states, an indicator variable for whether those options outlined above have a price change exceeding 30% during the underlying stock's straddle or limit state compared to the last available option price as reported by OPRA before the start of the straddle or limit state (1 if observe 30% and 0 otherwise), and another indicator variable for whether the option price within five minutes of the underlying stock leaving straddle or limit state (or halt if applicable) is 30% away from the price before the start of the straddle or limit state.

5.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b).

6.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).

7.  See supra, note 3.

8.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).

9.  17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii). As required under Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii), the Exchange provided the Commission with written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change, along with a brief description and the text of the proposed rule change, at least five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission.

10.  For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, the Commission has also considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).

11.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).