13. Order Entry, Routing and Execution Flashcards

(75 cards)

1
Q

This is the unlawful practice of splitting customer orders for securities into multiple smaller orders for the primary purpose of maximizing payments or rebates to the member

A

Trade or tape shredding

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2
Q

True / false: odd lot orders may be executed through Nasdaq but are not displayed on the Nasdaq system

A

True

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3
Q

_______ was introduced to prevent equity transactions from occurring outside a specific price band (5%, 10% etc) in National Market System (NMS) securities

A

Limit Up, Limit Down (LULD)

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4
Q

Under LULD, what is the band limit for Tier 1 NMS securities (i.e. SP500 and Russell 1000)?

A

5%

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5
Q

Under LULD, what is the band limit for Tier 2 NMS securities (i.e. NON-SP500 NON-Russell 1000)?

A

10%

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6
Q

Under LULD, the 5%/10% limits become 10%/20% (respectively) during _______ and ________

A

9:30a - 9:45a (15 mins)

3:35p - 4:00pm (25 mins)

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7
Q

What is the rule under Limit Up, Limit Down (LULD)?

A

5-5-15-5

If a stock DEVIATES BY 5% from its 5-MINUTE MOVING AVERAGE and stays that way for 15 SECONDS, then trading is PAUSED for 5 MINUTES

NOTE - what will end the 15-second “limit state”? If the order at or outside the band is 1) executed or 2) cancelled within the 15 seconds

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8
Q

For LULD, the “reference price” is refreshed every _______ but will only change if there is a move by ____% or more

A

30 seconds

1% or more

i.e., the moving average needs to change by 1% otherwise the band stays the same

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9
Q

True / false: during a LULD halt, BDs may accept orders and publish quotes

A

true

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10
Q

A MM that has an unexcused Nasdaq withdrawal of its quotes cannot re-post quotes in that security for the next ______ business days

A

20 business days

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11
Q

This “time-in-force” order is available for potential execution until the market closes at 4PM, and if I executed after the closing cross, the order is cancelled

A

Good Till Market Close (GTMC)

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12
Q

This “time-in-force” order remains in effect until it is executed by the broker or cancelled by the customer. Furthermore, on Nasdaq this type of order will cancel _______ after entry if it remains unfilled

A

Good Till Cancelled (GTC)

On Nasdaq, remains in force for 1 year unless cancelled

NOTE - this order type will also survive a trading halt in a security unless the customer affirmatively cancels it

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13
Q

Under _____________, if a stock is available at a price that meets a customer’s limit price, those shares must go to the customers vs. the BD’s own account

A

the Manning Rule

E.g., Bid is $0.52, customer has a buy limit at $0.51 and the firm buys at $0.50 - BD must give customer shares at $0.50. Filling customer at $0.51 is a violation of Manning Rule

A violation of this rule is called “front running”

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14
Q

Under the Manning Rule, if a BD does trade shares for its own account, it must fill the customer’s order….(3 elements)

A

1) at the same or better price;

2) for at least the same number of shares; AND

3) immediately (within 60 seconds)

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15
Q

Equity trades must be reported within _______. FINRA may excuse late reports for ________ or ________

A

10 seconds

Excused for

1) reasonable justifications (e.g., manual entry of complex trades)

Or

2) exceptional circumstances (e.g., system failure or unusual market conditions, such as extreme volatility in a security or market as whole)

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16
Q

According to Reg NMS, equities priced at or above $1.00 must be quoted in minimum increments of _____. For equities below $1.00 pricing increments are at ______.

A

$1+ —> $0.01 increments

<$1 —> $0.0001 increments

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17
Q

A _______ is filling an order at a price inferior to the best displayed bid or offer (NBB&O)

A

trade-through

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18
Q

A ________ occurs when all or a part of a previously executed trade is allocated to another BD for clearing purposes

A

a “step out”

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19
Q

Under ______ sale orders must be marked as “long”, “short” or “short exempt”

A

Regulation SHO

Long sale examples:
1) Stock is in possession of the broker in street name

2) Stock is in paper form, held in the client’s safe at her residence

3) Client placed a buy order that has NOT yet settled (contractual right to ownership)

4) Client have conversion instructions for convertible bond (contractual right / trigger to ownership)

5) the BD has been REASONABLY INFORMED by the seller that the securities will be delivered prior to the scheduled settlement

Short sale examples

1) client owns company-issued stock options (unexcercised)

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20
Q

What is the Reporting System for Nasdaq Level 1, 2 and 3? And when is it open?

A

Trade Reporting Facility (TRF) open 8am - 8pm

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21
Q

What is the Execution System for the Alternative Display Facility (ADF)?

A

N/A - Private Connectivity Systems

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22
Q

What is the Execution System for OTC Markets (e.g. Pink)?

A

Via Voice

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23
Q

What is the Reporting System for OTC Markets? And when is it open?

A

Over the Counter Reporting Facility (ORF) open 8am - 8pm

NOTE - trades are reported via ACT

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24
Q

What is the Reporting System for the Alternative Display Facility (ADF)? When is it open?

A

the ADF, opened 8am - 630pm

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25
What is the Execution System for Nasdaq Level 1, 2 and 3?
Nasdaq Execution System
26
A _________ is a firm that commits its own capital to provide liquidity in a security
Market maker
27
A ______ is a price a market maker is willing to pay either for its own account or on behalf of a client
Bid
28
A ______ is a price a market maker is willing to sell either for its own account or on behalf of a client
Ask / Offer
29
One Round Lot (std unit of trading) equals _____
100 shares
30
A _______ is an order that is more than a Round Lot but not a multiple thereof (e.g., 286)
a mixed lot
31
A _______ is an order for less than a Round Lot
an odd lot
32
A _______ is a securities exchange that is SEC registered under the 34 Act and trades stocks referred to as _________
National Securities Exchange NMS Stocks
33
These are venues “otherwise than on an exchange” that facilitate securities trading (but is not an exchange)
Over the counter (OTC) markets
34
What are the steps to OTC Registration (3 steps)?
1) company publishes ONGOING current disclosures (prospectus / offering circular; annual / periodic repots (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K) 2) A BD or a quotation service (e.g., OTC Link) files Form 211 with FINRA to initiate quotations 3) Once a quote is published by one BD other firms can “piggyback” on that quote without a separate Form 211 (even if the initial MM withdraws quoting)
35
Penny Stocks are defined as….
1) Stocks that trade less than $5.00 per share; AND 2) are quoted over the counter (unlisted) NOTE: Investment characteristics: A) speculative (very risky) B) less liquid C) More volatile D) Greater concern for fraud
36
Prior to onboarding a client to trade penny stocks, the client must….. (2 things)
1) receive the penny stock risk disclosure document; and 2) return a SIGNED, DATED acknowledgment of receipt of the risk document
37
Prior to each solicited trade of a penny stock, a customer must return _______ and all solicitations must disclose ________ and _________
Must return a SIGNED suitability statement Must disclose 1) the inside market and 2) compensation for the firm / rep
38
To trade penny stocks, suitability statements are NOT required if….
the client is “established” which can be down in two ways 1) 3/3/3: after three trades, in three different stocks on three different days 2) client has been a client of BD for 1 year+
39
Quotes permitted on LISTED EXCHANGES must be _________ and ________
1) firm (willing to buy / sell at px posted) 2) two-sided (bid + ask)
40
Quotes permitted on the OTC Market can be ______ (5 options)
1) firm (if priced) 2) 2-sided or 1-sided 3) Unpriced (Unpr.) 4) Offer Wanted (OW) or Bid Wanted (BW) - i.e. “call and ask” 5) *Subject quotes (px’d but not firm) - don’t have to honor it
41
If a customer comes into a MM with a quote, when does the MM need to update the display with this quote? How soon must the display be updated?
When the quotes improves the MMs price at the INSIDE MARKET (higher bid, lower ask) Must be updated w/in 30 seconds NOTE - if matches the MMs price, should update the lot size with incremental quote level NOTE - if a px improves a MMs price but not at INSIDE MARKET (NBB&O) then update is OPTIONAL
42
What are the [5] key exceptions to the MM’s limit order improvement display obligation?
1) Customer order with “do-not-display” instruction 2) Odd lot (<100 shares) orders (not obligated but these are executable without updating display) 3) Block size orders (firm can display a portion) - unless customer requests for display 4) All or none orders 5) the order is executed immediately on receipt (marketable)
43
What is the definition of a block trade under SEC rules? What about under FINRA / OTC rules?
SEC = 10k shares OR $200k value FINRA / OTC = 10k shares AND $100k value (an “AND” given penny stocks)
44
Which types of accounts can a MM have an exception to the Manning Rule? And under what circumstances can MMs “trade along” these accounts?
Type of account: 1) Institutional account; OR 2) Large (block) retail orders (based on FINRA definition - 10k shares AND $100k in value) What must occur to trade along? 1) Clear written notification at account opening and annually thereafter; OR 2) Verbal disclosure trade by trade NOTE - regular retail (non-block) orders CANNOT bypass Manning Rule
45
A _________ market is one where the inside bid (highest bid) exceeds the inside offer (lowest ask price) and is __________
Crossed prohibited - should just be executed and moved off board
46
A _______ market is one where the inside bid (highest bid) is equal to the inside offer (lowest ask price) and is _________
Locked Prohibited - should just be executed and moved off board
47
What is an exception to allowing for a locked or crossed quote?
When the exchanges are having a malfunction
48
“__________” are impermissible MM payments
“Payment for market making” MMs cannot accept any compensation from an issuer to make a market
49
For firm quotes, firms must honor the stated quotes, otherwise it’s known as “________”
”Backing away”
50
The practice of “________” is when a BD is in process of releasing research and adjusts inventory or establishes a position in the subject security beforehand
“trading ahead”
51
How long and under what circumstances can the SEC halt market wide trading to protect investors in market disruptions?
for up to 90 days With notice to POTUS
52
Circuit breaker - first halt A S&P500 decline of ____ during ______ and _____ results in a ______ halt on trading
7% 9:30a - 3:25p 15 min NOTE - Customer orders can still be accepted by BDs and MMs can start to enter quotes in the last 5 mins of halt
53
Circuit breaker - second halt A S&P500 decline of ____ during ______ and ______ results in an additional _____ halt on trading
13% 9:30a - 3:25p 15 min NOTE - Customer orders can still be accepted by BDs and MMs can start to enter quotes in the last 5 mins of halt
54
Circuit breaker - last breaker A S&P 500 decline of ______ during ______ and _____ results in trading halt for ________
20% 9:30a - 4pm (entire mkt day) Rest of day (shut down)
55
True/false: national exchanges can halt single name trading pending release of certain news where they receive advanced notice
true Quotes may be entered 5 minutes before trading resumes
56
For how long can the SEC halt single-name stock trading (NMS or OTC) to protect investors?
10 days NOTE - no quotes or trades during a SEC single-stock halt
57
Under what circumstances (4) can FINRA halt single name NMS or OTC stocks?
1) news pending 2) system errors 3) halts in associated securities 4) 10 days extraordinary events (rare) NOTE - no quotes or trades during a FINRA single-stocks halt
58
Sub-penny quotes are permitted on listed securities trading for ______
less than $1.00
59
The smallest sub-penny increment for quotes for NMS stocks is _______
$0.0001
60
A ________ is a transaction in which the firm acts as agent for both the buyer and seller. The stock ins generally bought/sold at __________
Agency cross (dual agency trade) The midpoint between the bid and the offer NOTE - both customers are charged a commission and at least one of an agency cross transaction must be unsolicited An agency cross of 10,000 shares is reported as a single trade of 10,000 (not two trades totaling 20,000)
61
An order marked as _________ is one that is deemed exempt from the price test for securities under Reg SHO
Short Exempt The px test is required for any security whose px falls below 10% of its previous day’s close When this happens the security may not be involved in a short sale order. Can only sell short when there is an “uptick”
62
During regular trading hours, what is the minimum number of shares a market maker must quote (two sided)?
100 shares on both a bid and ask sides
63
All new quotes must be within the _________ of the NBBO
designated percentage 8% for tier 1 securities (SP500 / Russell 1000) 28%/30% for Tier 2 and 3 securities 30% for rights and warrants
64
All EXISTING quotes must be within the ________ of the NBBO
defined limit And if falls outside the defined limit the quote must be updated 9.5% for Tier 1 securities (SP500 / Russell 1000) 29.5% / 31.5% for Tier 2 and 3 securities 31.5% for rights and warrants
65
True / false: market orders must be displayed within 30 seconds if they improve the NBBO
false Market orders are executed immediately against the NBBO (not displayed) Limit orders must be displayed within 30 seconds if they improve the NBBO
66
A Qualified Block Positioned is defined as a type of MM that is eligible to buy or sell blocks of stock with a current MV of _______
$200k or more
67
True / false: a customer who puts in a market order above the quantity offered at NBBO the the order will only be partially filled at that price
False - market orders are always filled in full, at the best available price. The px of the portion not filled by current NBBO quantity is not known
68
What is the only type of trade in which the BD does not have a “best execution” responsibility to the customer?
An unsolicited order routed to a particular market
69
How often are BDs required to conduct “regular and rigorous reviews” of the overall quality of trade execution (assuming they do not conduct an order-by-order review)?
Quarterly
70
What does it mean for BDs’ requirement to obtain “best execution” for their customers? (3 things)
1) determine the best market for each customer 2) make every effort to to execute a market order fully and promptly 3) execute orders at prices as favorable as possible for the customer under mkt conditions
71
Clients who trade under a periodic payment plan and do not receive confirmations must receive a written quarterly statement of transactions, delivered ________
within 5 days of each quarter’s end
72
Under what two circumstances are trade confirmations not required?
1) when trades are executed pursuant to a periodic plan 2) when the trades are for money market mutual fund shares
73
The time of entry (on the order ticket) is defined as _____
the time the firm transmits the order or instruction for execution
74
If a customer requests information offered on a trade confirmation, the BD has _________ days to provide it
5 business days Note - if the trade occured more than 30 days prior to the request, the BD has 15 days to provide it
75
________ describes a trade directly btwn 2 parties with a manual trade comparison process
Ex-clearing