In response to the growing popularity for exchange traded funds, Nasdaq OMX Group (NasdaqGS: NDAQ) is considering converting one of its smaller exchanges to focus solely on trading ETFs.
Nasdaq will change the structure of the PSX, its smallest trading venue by volume, and the exchange operator will introduce designated market makers to the restructured exchange, reports Kaitlyn Kiernan for the Dow Jones Newswires.
The shift in tactics could be an attempt to tap into the growing market segment that is dominated by the NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) electronic Arca exchange. According to NYSE Euronext data, NYSE Arca accounted for 20% of trading volume in exchange traded products. In comparison, PSX sees 0.8% of U.S. trading volume.
Nasdaq OMX does not seek to list fund products on PSX but trade them.
The Nasdaq OMX PSX exchange uses the exchange license grated through the purchase of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in 2007. Originally, the PSX was the only U.S. stock exchange to follow a “price/size priority model,” which attracted participants through rebates – it would rank orders by price and then size.