SEC to consider more attention on brokers’ stock-routing role

(Bloomberg) — Brokers could be required to tell investors exactly where they sent a stock order to be filled under a measure the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is weighing to address complaints that the decisions sometimes aren’t in clients’ best interests.

The proposal could give investors more insight into whether they are getting the best price when they buy and sell large numbers of shares, according to three people familiar with the matter. Brokers entrusted with orders in the U.S. stock market can choose from dozens of exchanges and private venues. Some money managers such as T. Rowe Price Group Inc. have told regulators that incentives offered by exchanges for attracting orders can put a broker’s financial interest at odds with the customer’s.

The SEC faces pressure to overhaul trading after Michael Lewis’s “Flash Boys” book made the claim that high-frequency traders hurt other investors by learning which shares investors plan to buy, purchasing them and selling them back at a higher price. The SEC has said it’s reviewing every aspect of how stocks are traded, and regulators are trying to identify changes that could be implemented quickly, the people said.

“We’ve actually started this conversation about what can we do right now,” SEC Commissioner Kara M. Stein said in an interview. “All five commissioners are very focused on these issues and are committed to making sure the market is fair and efficient and promoting capital formation.”

‘Low-hanging fruit’

There is a lot of “low-hanging fruit” that should be considered, said Stein, who declined to discuss specific steps. Commissioners expect the SEC’s staff to present them potential policy options “in the near term,” Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar said in an interview.

Florence Harmon, an SEC spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Brokers can face a conflict of interest as they select where to send customer orders. Brokers can either capture a rebate or pay a fee to an exchange depending on the type of order used, while private venues known as dark pools charge lower fees but don’t have to disclose how they treat customers.

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Requiring brokers to report every step they took to fill a customer’s order could help investors defend against the predatory traders described by Lewis, said Andy Brooks, head of U.S. equity trading at Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price. While large investors can demand such reporting, regulators could require “a very detailed and comprehensive template” that would allow investors to compare the brokers they use, he said.

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