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March 15, 2000

Decimals Point-To-Point Testing: Extension of Test Dates and New Files To Be Saved



The Amex is extending the dates for decimals point-to-point testing through May 2000. Please refer to the Securities Industry Association (SIA) "Decimalization Testing & Implementation Guide" or the "Amex/SIAC Decimalization Guide" for specific days, times, contacts, and testing requirements.

Through Friday, March 24, 2000 all point-to-point testing will continue to be conducted using machine readable output (MROs) files saved for the trade date of January 7, 20001 only. Effective March 25, 2000 all Amex decimals point-to-point testing must be conducted with MROs from the new trade date of Friday, March 24, 2000. If your firm has already completed point-to-point testing for some or all Amex systems/applications, you should save your MROs from Friday, March 24th in the event additional testing becomes necessary after March 24th. Point-to-point testing will only be conducted using files from the trade date of March 24, 2000 starting Saturday March 25 through Wednesday, May 31, 2000.2

Effective March 25, 2000: Files To be Used for all Amex Decimals Point-to-Point Testing
  1. Limit Order Reconciliation (LOR) 1146 submission for Friday night, March 24, 2000. (March 27, 2000 Start-of-Day database) with equity and option prices converted in accordance with the conversion logic for the identified Amex test symbols.3

  2. Option ASOF Status (AOS) 24046 submission for Friday, March 24, 2000 in the new type ‘4' format.

  3. Open Order data base images for end-of-day Friday, March 24, 2000, and a copy with the Amex test symbols identified as trading in decimals for start-of-day Monday, March 27, 2000.

  4. 80 Byte Open Order File (Autoroute 01010212) transmission received from SIAC on Friday night, March 24, 2000 for comparison to the new 130 Byte decimals version (Autoroute 01010106).

  5. Amex Equity Odd-lot File (Autoroute 01210310) transmitted to Specialists' Clearing agents Friday, March 24, 2000, with new decimal price field added.

  6. Member Firm's Merged Order Log MRO (Autoroute 01012391) from Friday, March 24, 2000.

  7. Specialist's Clearing Agent Merged Order Log MRO (Autoroute 01012392) from Friday, March 24, 2000.

  8. Intra Day Comparison (IDC) Options Final Contract Sheets (Autoroute 01180072) for Friday, March 24, 2000.

  9. Intra Day Comparison (IDC) Options Final "CUAR" MRO (Autoroute 01180303) from Friday, March 24, 2000.

  10. Amex Equity Comparison (NYSE OCS): Refer to NYSE notice PT 0062 dated March 17, 2000.

Questions regarding this Notice are to be directed to Ed Cook at (212) 306-1748 or Shirley Thompson at (212) 306-1161.

1  January 4, 2000 Amex Notice to Members and Member Organizations.
2  If you have completed point-to-point testing of open order file conversion for selected issues, and do not complete point-to-point testing of full file conversion by March 24th, you must re-test your open order file conversion of selected issues using files from March 24th before you can test full file conversion.
3  See Securities Industry Association's (SIA's) "Decimalization Testing & Implementation Guide" (www.sia.com) or "Amex/SIAC Decimalization Guide".
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