Lost in the shuffle of the approval of its controversial climate-related disclosure rule, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday also adopted amendments to its rule for order executions in national market system (NMS) stocks.
The changes will expand the disclosure requirements under Rule 605 of Regulation NMS to include broker-dealers who carry 100,000 or more customer accounts, the SEC said in a fact sheet. Also amended was the definition of “covered order” to include certain orders submitted outside of regular trading hours, certain orders submitted with stop prices, and nonexempt short sale orders and new requirements for standardized monthly reports mandated by Rule 605.
The agency noted the fact the rule was adopted in 2000 and hadn’t been substantively updated since then as a driver behind the changes.
“In the 24 years since Rule 605 was adopted, our equity markets have been transformed by ever-evolving technologies and business models,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler in a press release. “I am pleased to support this adoption because it will improve transparency for execution quality and facilitate investors’ ability to compare brokers, thereby enhancing competition in our markets.”
The rule received rare support from all five SEC commissioners.
“I do not agree with every call made, but the final amendments are a necessary response to the evolution of the market,” said Republican Commissioner Hester Peirce in a statement.
The rule change was originally proposed alongside several others in December 2022 aimed at updating the way securities are sold in U.S. markets and creating new disclosures for broker-dealers and others seeking to trade securities on behalf of retail investors. The other proposals are still pending.
The amendments will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, with a compliance date of 18 months after the effective date.
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