Rule 700. Applicability, Definitions and References
This rule is no longer applicable effective February 17, 2009.
The Rules in this 700 series (Rules 700 through 794) shall be applicable to (i) the trading on the Exchange of option contracts issued by The Options Clearing Corporation, (ii) the terms and conditions, and the exercise and settlement, of option contracts so traded, and (iii) the handling of orders, and the conduct of accounts and other matters, relating to option contracts dealt in by any member or member organization.
Except as may be specifically provided in the Rules in this series, (i) Rules 6, 45 through 298 and Rule 440B shall not apply to option transactions and (ii) Rule 325(e) shall not apply to members whose transactions on the Exchange are in options solely.
As used in the Rules of this 700 series and those other Rules applicable to options transactions, the following terms (and phrases derived by transposing a term's component words) shall, unless the context otherwise indicates, have the meanings specified below:
The term "aggregate exercise price" as used with reference to an option contract means:
The term "American-style index options" means an option contract on an index stock group that can be exercised at any time prior to its expiration pursuant to the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "annualized discount" as used with reference to a Treasury bill means the percent discount from principal amount at which the Treasury bill may be purchased or sold, expressed as a discount for a term to maturity of 360 days.
The term "applicable current Options Disclosure Document" means, as to any kind of option, the most recent edition of the Options Disclosure Document and any supplement that pertain to that kind of option and that meet the requirements of Rule 9b-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
The term "appropriate differential" as used with reference to a GNMA option contract means a positive or negative amount equal to the product of (i) the difference between the remaining unpaid principal balance of a GNMA delivered upon exercise of that contract and the nominal principal amount, and (ii) the difference between the current cash market price of GNMAs bearing the same stated rate of interest as that borne by the GNMA delivered upon exercise and the exercise price.
The term "broad index stock group" means an index stock group of 25 or more stocks whose inclusion and relative representation in the group are determined by the inclusion and relative representation of their current market prices in a widely-disseminated stock index reflecting the stock market as a whole or an inter-industry sector of the stock market.
The term "broad index stock group option (contract)" means an option contract on a broad index stock group.
The term "call" means an option contract under which the holder has the right, in accordance with the terms of the option, to purchase from The Options Clearing Corporation
The term "class (of options)" means all option contracts of the same type and kind covering the same underlying security or underlying stock group.
The term "clearing member" means a member or member organization who or which has been admitted to membership in The Options Clearing Corporation pursuant to the provisions of the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "closing purchase transaction" means an option transaction in which the purchaser's intention is to reduce or eliminate a short position in the series of options involved in such transaction.
The term "closing sale transaction" means an option transaction in which the seller's intention is to reduce or eliminate a long position in the series of options involved in such transaction.
The term "complement", as used with reference to an annualized discount, means the difference between 100% and the annualized discount.
The term "current cash market price" as used with reference to GNMAs means the prevailing price in the cash market for GNMAs bearing a particular stated rate of interest to be delivered on the next applicable monthly settlement date determined in the manner specified in the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
See "applicable current Options Disclosure Documents."
The term "current index group value" means $1.00 multiplied by the current value reported for the index that is derived from the current market prices of the stocks in the group. When used with reference to the exercise of an index stock group option, the value is the last one reported on the day of exercise or, if the day of exercise is not a trading day, on the last trading day before exercise.
The term "designated rate" as used with reference to a GNMA option means a rate of interest of eight percent or such other rate as may be designated in the manner specified in the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "European-style index options" means an option contract on an index stock group that can be exercised only at its expiration pursuant to the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "end-of-quarter option" means an index stock group option contract that expires on the second business day of the month following the end of a calendar quarter.
The term "Exchange option transaction" means an option transaction effected on the Floor between or among members.
The term "Exchange options trading" means options trading on the Floor.
The term "exercise price" in respect of an option contract means
The term "expiration date" in respect of an option contract means the date and time fixed by the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation for the expiration of all option contracts covering the same underlying security or underlying index stock group and having the same expiration month as such option contract.
The term "expiration month" in respect of an option contract means the month and year in which such option contract expires.
The term "Floor" means the Options Trading Floor as delineated in Supplementary Material .10 to Rule 758.
The term "GNMA" means a mortgage pass-through security guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by the Government National Mortgage Association, as described in the current standard prospectus of the Department of Housing and Urban Development covering such securities, bearing a stated rate of interest which is a qualifying rate. Any two or more separate certificates representing GNMAs bearing the same qualifying rate delivered in accordance with the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation upon exercise of an option contract shall, for purposes of the Rules in this 700 series, be deemed to be a single GNMA, having a remaining unpaid principal balance equal to the sum of the remaining unpaid principal balances of such separate certificates.
The term "GNMA option (contract)" means an option contract on GNMAs.
The term "GNMA production rate" means a rate of interest .50 percent below the maximum stated rate of interest on residential mortgages which the Federal Housing Administration is willing to insure and which the Veterans Administration is willing to guarantee, as it may vary from time to time in accordance with official announcements of changes in such rates made by the Federal Housing Administration.
The term "Government security" means a bond, note, bill, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness that is a direct obligation of, or an obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States or a corporation in which the United States has a direct or indirect interest (except debt securities guaranteed as to timely payment of prinpical and interest by the Government National Mortgage Association).
The term "Government security option (contract)" means an option contract on Government securities.
The term "index multiplier" as used with reference to an index stock group option contract means the amount specified in the contract by which the current index group value is to be multiplied to arrive at the value required to be delivered to the holder of a call or by the holder of a put upon valid exercise of the contract.
The term "index stock group" means either a broad index stock group or an industry index stock group.
The term "index stock group option (contract)" means either a broad index stock group option contract or an industry index stock group option contract.
The term "industry index stock group" means an index stock group of six or more stocks whose inclusion and relative representation in the group are determined by the inclusion and relative representation of their current market prices in a widely-disseminated stock index reflecting a particular industry or closely-related industries.
The term "industry index stock group option (contract)" means an option contract on an industry index stock group.
The term "kind of option" means either a stock option contract, a Government security option contract, a broad index stock group option contract, an industry index stock group option contract or a GNMA option contract.
The term "long position" means the number of outstanding option contracts of a given series of options held by a person (purchaser).
The term "nominal principal amount" as used with reference to a GNMA option means the remaining unpaid principal balance of GNMAs required to be delivered to the holder of a call or by the holder of a put upon exercise of an option without regard to any variance in the remaining unpaid principal balance permitted to be delivered upon such exercise and shall be $100,000 in the case of a single call or put.
The term "opening purchase transaction" means an option transaction in which the purchaser's intention is to create or increase a long position in the series of options involved in such transaction.
The term "opening writing transaction" means an option transaction in which the seller's (writer's) intention is to create or increase a short position in the series of options involved in such transaction.
The term "option (contract)" means a put or a call issued, or subject to issuance, by The Options Clearing Corporation pursuant to the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "option transaction" means a transaction for the purchase or sale of an option contract, or for the closing out of a long or short position in an option contract.
The term "options trading" means trading in any option issued by The Options Clearing Corporation, whether or not of a type, class or series which has been approved for trading on the Exchange.
The term "outstanding" in respect of an option contract means an option contract which has been issued by The Options Clearing Corporation and has neither been the subject of a closing sale transaction on or through the facilities of, or otherwise subject to the rules of, a Participating Exchange or Association nor been exercised nor reached its expiration date.
The term "Participating Exchange (Association)" means a national securities exchange (association) which has qualified for participation in The Options Clearing Corporation.
The term "primary market" means (i) in respect of an underlying security that is principally traded on a national securities exchange, the principal exchange market in which the underlying security is traded and (ii) in respect of an underlying security that is principally traded in the over-the-counter market, the market reflected by any widely recognized quotation dissemination system or service (the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") in the case of a NASDAQ stock).
The term "public customer of a member organization" means a customer that is not a broker or a dealer.
The term "put" means an option contract under which the holder has the right, in accordance with the terms of the option, to sell to The Options Clearing Corporation
The term "qualifying rate" as used with reference to a GNMA option means any rate of interest equal to or less than the GNMA production rate; provided that:
The term "Registered Options Principal" means a person who has qualified as a "Registered Options Principal" in accordance with Rule 720 (Registration of Options Principals).
The term "Registered Options Representative" means a registered representative who has qualified as a "Registered Options Representative" in accordance with paragraph (4) of Supplementary Material .15 to Rule 345 (Employees-Registration, Approval, Records).
The term "related security" means
The term "rules of The Options Clearing Corporation" means the by-laws and the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation, and all written interpretations thereof, as the same may be in effect from time to time.
The term "series (of options)" means all option contracts of the same class of options having the same expiration date, exercise price and unit of trading.
The term "shares" means the basic unit of issue of a stock.
The term "short position" means the number of outstanding option contracts of a given series of options with respect to which a person is obligated as a writer (seller).
The term "stock" shall be broadly interpreted to mean any equity security, as defined in Section 3(a)(11) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 3a11-1 under the Act, that confers directly on the holder a present equity ownership or participation interest in an enterprise.
The term "stock option (contract)" means an option contract on a single stock.
The term "stock-related option (contract)" means either a stock option contract, a broad industry index stock group option contract or an industry index stock group option contract.
The term "The Options Clearing Corporation" means The Options Clearing Corporation, a subsidiary of the Participating Exchanges and Association.
The term "Treasury bill" means a Government security sold by the U.S. Treasury Department at a discount from principal amount, bearing no interest and normally having a term to maturity of not more than one year at the time of original issue.
The term "Treasury bond" means a Government security sold by the U.S. Treasury Department that has been designated by the U.S. Treasury Department with reference to its term to maturity as a "bond" (normally confined to Treasury securities with a term to maturity of more than ten years at the time of original issue).
The term "Treasury note" means a Government security sold by the U.S. Treasury Department that has been designated by the U.S. Treasury Department with reference to its term to maturity as a "note" (normally confined to Treasury securities with a term to maturity of more than one year but not more than ten years at the time of original issue).
The term "type of option" means the classification of an option contract as either a put or a call.
The term "uncovered" in respect of a short position in an option contract means that the short position is not covered.
The term "underlying Government security" means an underlying security that is a Government security.
The term "underlying GNMA" means an underlying security that is a GNMA.
The term "underlying (index) stock group" as used with reference to an index stock group option contract means the index stock group, a multiple of the current index group value of which The Options Clearing Corporation is obligated to sell (in the case of a call) or purchase (in the case of a put) upon valid exercise of the contract.
The term "underlying security" means
The term "underlying stock" means an underlying security that is a stock.
All times stated in the Rules in this 700 series are the local time in New York City.
• • • Supplementary Material: --------------
Amendments. October 7, 1982. September 22, 1983. February 17, 1984. February 13, 1985. April 10, 1985. May 31, 1985. March 8, 1990. October 21, 1991. February 5, 1993. February 27, 2006, effective March 8, 2006 (NYSE-2005-77). |