Mar. 12, 2023
I fully support this rule with certain exceptions. I deeply appreciate and support any efforts to reduce the games that damage the integrity, credibility, and functioning of American markets. I believe that some broker-dealers should lose their licenses instead of receiving fines that amount to nothing more than a cost of doing business - a cost that is often outweighed by the ill-gotten gains obtained through misreporting and misrepresentation of data. It is nothing more than fraud, plain and simple. Broker orders should first be routed to the auction for fair competition, and then specify where the order should go if the auction is unsuccessful. That way the entire market has equal knowledge. The Commission needs to address the current unfair information advantage held by market makers and wholesalers such as Citadel. The current rule forces dark pools (Alternative Trading Systems) to provide quotes and trades to consolidated market data IF they wish to operate as an auction. I fully support rule changes that bring more transparency to dark markets. The investing public should have easy access to what is happening within the markets. 15 U.S.C. 78k-1 (“section 11A”) states that "It is in the public interest and appropriate for the protection of investors and the maintenance of fair and orderly markets to assure ... fair competition among brokers and dealers, among exchange markets, and between exchange markets and markets other than exchange markets." For too long the Commission has not be enduring fair competition, especially within the off-exchange systems that currently dominate. It's good to see mandates being taken more seriously. Monopolies are BAD, and there is CLEAR MONOPOLISTIC behavior here. The Commission notes that 90% of marketable orders of individual investors in NMS stocks to a small group of six off-exchange dealers, and 66% is captured by just two firms. Those figures will be even higher for specific stocks. The state of American markets is clearly anti-competitive and that needs to change. The current market is obviously not fair and this proposed rule is an important step in that direction. Fair competition is incredibly important, and it’s good to see the SEC prioritizing true competition. I thank you for this. There are clearly some market participants benefitting from a dominant, anti-competitive position in the marketplace. No more backroom deals! Orders should be sent to the lit markets, and it's good to see that the Commission finally realizes this. Fragmentation of the markets makes things overcomplicated in a way that only benefits large, dominant players by scalping household investors on every transaction. This is a form of corruption that should not exist. I would gladly pay more per share to avoid being routed through a wholesaler that has been charged over 70 times by the United States government (https://files.brokercheck.finra.org/firm/firm_116797.pdf). I would gladly pay commission to avoid being routed through a wholesaler, especially one with a long record of flouting the law like Citadel Securities. The parties involved have very clear conflicts of interest. Citadel is a large source of funding for many broker-dealers and is, for example, the NYSE's biggest customer. Wholesalers exercise extreme influence on other market participants and I am concerned that influence will infect the ability of some participants to objectively review these rules. Research heavily suggests that internalization is bad for markets. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4070056 Wholesalers are lying about the quality of their services to maintain their profits and it makes me sick. Will not stand for this, and I will continue to push for the end of these indecent schemes. I dislike middlemen that simply exist to get their cut of a transaction that would otherwise occur. The data clearly demonstrates that wholesalers are taking billions from individuals and institutions and calling it "superior performance". They might massage their numbers to protect their profits, but we know better. If they weren't around to take their cut, the savings will go to citizens and pensions instead of into Wall Steet's overstuffed pockets. It is clear to me how removing the profiteering middlemen from the market will improve prices for both individuals and institutions (e.g. pension funds). Recent research by Hittal Mittesh suggests that on top of the Commission's estimate that the auctions would save individuals from billions of dollars taken by wholesalers, it would also save institutions over $1.5 billion each year. Wholesalers are taking from citizens AND people's pensions - that needs to stop. Citation: https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=31323334-50bba2bf-3132d782-4544474f5631-0ffa2683a9d5997b&q=1&e=73363e94-035f-44a2-889f-1a9272c26868&u=https%3A%2F%2F4982966.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net%2Fhubfs%2F4982966%2FBestEx%2520Research%2520Order%2520Competition Thank you for your progressive efforts. I look forward to supporting continued progress towards markets that are sustainable and fair for household investors, not just for institutions. Regards, Lloyd Bickford