Guidance

As part of its efforts to combat abusive market timing in mutual funds, the SEC intends to propose a mandatory redemption fee on short-term trades. On November 17, 2003, the SEC requested that NASD convene a working group of industry experts to consider how this initiative may be affected by the use of mutual fund omnibus accounts. This memorandum summarizes the views expressed by members of the Omnibus Account Task Force (Task Force) established by NASD.

Rule 2740 would not prohibit an underwriter in a fixed price offering from paying to another broker/dealer that is unable to participate in the underwriting syndicate an advisory fee or a referral fee to the extent that such payment does not directly or indirectly discount the fixed offering price for any purchaser in the offering.

Further interpretive advice to members concerning the sale of hedge funds.

Secondary market trading in Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index Tracking Stock would be consistent with the requirements of NASD Rules 2110, 2420, 2830(c), (g), and (i), and Interpretive Material 2830-2.

In a letter to NASD Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert R. Glauber, dated January 15, 2003, former Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chairman Harvey L. Pitt requested that NASD, joined by the Securities Industry Association (“SIA”) and the Investment Company Institute (“ICI”), convene a task force to recommend industry-wide changes to address errors and missed opportunities to provide discounts in the calculation of sales loads charged on the purchase of mutual fund shares that carry a front-end sales load.

For purposes of reporting to TRACE only, a member may enter only bona fide commissions in the "commission" field and may charge a commission only in specified transactions.

Member that serves as investment consultant and sub-administrator for certain mutual funds, but does not serve as either the principal underwriter or an investment adviser or sub-adviser to the funds, may state in its public communications that it does not offer proprietary products.

Fairness, integrity and efficiency make the U.S. capital markets the most successful in the world. In the past decade, more than 5,600 domestic and foreign enterprises raised an aggregate of over $500 billion through IPOs in U.S. markets. These IPOs served as an engine for corporate growth and active participation by all sectors of the investment community, from venture capitalists to large institutions and individual investors.

Transactions in certain medium term notes, purchased and re-sold to retail customers during the offering period, should not be reported to TRACE as set forth in Rule 6230(e)(1) because the transactions are part of a primary distribution.

OATS Clock Synchronization Logs – Record Keeping Requirements.

Clarification of application of OATS rules to customer allocations of executions.

April 2003

When a member exchanges TRACE-eligible securities for a Creation Unit of an exchange-traded fund ("ETF"), the transfer of TRACE-eligible securities is not required to be reported to TRACE. Similarly, when a member redeems a Creation Unit of an ETF and receives TRACE-eligible securities, their acquisition is not required to be reported to TRACE.

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