Exactly.
Perhaps Cathedral was addressing the wrong set of issues. I am interested in seeing the exchanges enforce their obligation to provide fair and liquid markets for the public. Simply stated, if I place a limit order at market and have time priority, I expect a fill. Several months ago, I would ask for a floor ruling two or three times a week and would lose nine out of ten. Now the frequency is up to one to three rulings a day and I win nine out of ten. While forcing a floor ruling is time consuming, a favorable ruling outcome at least suggests there is smoke. Several thousand might suggest revisiting the issues within the SEC/DOJ anticompetitive sanction.
In September 2000 , the four floor exchanges were sanctioned by the SEC and DOJ for anticompetitve conduct
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2000-126.txt . They were ordered to spend $77M, in part, on surveillance and enforcement to "satisfy their legal obligation to effectively enforce compliance with the following exchange rules:
Priority Rules ...
Firm Quote Rules ...
Limit Order Display Rules ....
Trade Reporting Rules ...."
As a public customer, I see no evidence that the corrective actions have been effective. On Monday, I will make a FOIA request to the SEC and DOJ for all data pertaining to compliance with the sanction. I think its time that all floor rulings become part of a public database and include the corrective action taken by exchange where violations of rules were found. Perhaps the SEC/DOJ database will contain this information.
Some parties on the CBOE blacklist may have stepped over the line; however, most were likely just trying to trade the markets presented to them. It's too bad the Court didn't dig a little deeper into the CBOE's explanation of how parties were abusing the RAES system. I have seen none of the mechanics described in the actual market place; however, I have seen spreads widen, liquidity decrease and fades against public orders become increasingly frequent.