I rarely start threads but thought this a good thing to happen to options. Bsulli Dash 5 Stats May Come to Options by Nina Mehta Oct 25, 2006 Options exchanges may soon have to provide statistical measures of execution quality in their markets, according to Eric R. Sirri, the Securities and Exchange Commissionâs director of market regulation. Speaking yesterday at a Securities Industry Association conference on options market structure, Sirri said the SEC is considering the value of asking options exchanges to publish statistics along the lines of the âDash 5â statistics required in the equities market. The Dash 5 statistics are measures of execution quality required under Rule 605 (formerly Rule 11Ac1-5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC has required market centers to disclose this information on a monthly basis since 2001. The SECâs accompanying Rule 606 (formerly Rule 11Ac1-6) requires broker-dealers to disclose information about how they route both equities and options orders to various market centers. With pennies coming to the options industry, âit may be time to think about additional transparency,â Sirri said. The six U.S. options exchanges will commence a pilot that allows options to be quoted in penny increments on January 27, 2007. Options in the pilot that are under $3 can be quoted in penny increments, while those $3 or higher can be quoted in nickel increments. The current minimum price variation for quotes is either a nickel or dime, depending on the price of the option. Sirri noted that Dash 5 statistics have had positive effects in the equities market and have facilitated discussions of best execution. Best execution is also a requirement for broker-dealers in the options industry. According to Sirri, the SEC is considering how data could be âparsimoniouslyâ produced so broker-dealers could use that information to help them make routing decisions on behalf of their clients. Smart order routing is expected to become more important in the options industry in a penny-increment environment. âWeâre by no means committed to it [requiring Dash 5 statistics in the options industry], but weâre thinking about it,â Sirri said.