# SEC Considers Routing Equity Trades Into Competitive Auctions, Gensler Says
## The change would be part of a broader set of changes to the stock market’s plumbing that aim to reduce costs for investors
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said he has asked agency staff to consider requiring brokerages to route individual investors’ orders to buy or sell stocks into auctions, as part of an effort to increase competition in the market.
The potential change would represent a major shakeup to the lucrative business of executing trades in the stock market. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the plan was under consideration. The objective would be to “assure full competition among all market participants to provide the best prices for retail investors,” Mr. Gensler said Wednesday in prepared remarks for a speech to the Piper Sandler Global Exchange & FinTech Conference in New York.
Those market participants are gearing up for a bruising fight with the agency. A top executive with [Robinhood Markets]( https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/HOOD) Inc. blasted the SEC on Wednesday over its efforts to rewrite the rules that govern U.S. stock trading, saying the market was functioning well for ordinary investors.
The auctions outlined Wednesday would likely be the most consequential change in a broader effort to make the market more competitive and transparent for investors and public companies. People familiar with the matter say the SEC could begin issuing proposals under the initiative as early as this fall, kicking off a formal rule-making process that would likely take many months to complete.
