Mar. 12, 2023
To whom it may concern, I embrace the SEC finally addressing the blatant market manipulation via the use of dark pool trading. The ability of companies to channel buys or sells of specific tickers to either the open market or a dark pool in order to push the price up or down depending on their personal position in the stock is criminal. 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 and appreciate rule changes like this that bring more transparency to dark markets. The investing public should have easy access to what is happening within the markets. The financial industry has special protections as deemed by our National Security Strategy. Critical infrastructure protection measures listed by CISA (2019) such as the following need to be implemented immediately "Regulatory approaches may be desired to ensure a common standard is required of all, to promote certain industry practices, where appropriate, and to ensure compliance is not a competitive disadvantage” (p.10). We as household investors are at a great competitive disadvantage. Allowing institutions to internalize orders with the help of PFOF information allows zero risk trades to these institutions, or by another name ‘fraud’. The criminals responsible for manipulating our sacred infrastructure should be charged as domestic terrorists and held at GITMO for their military tribunals. Please implement ASAP. Concerned Investor, Thomas Williams