The board of the New York Stock...

The board of the New York Stock Exchange approved a proposal to boost the capital requirements for the specialist firms that control the rights to trade Big Board stocks. The proposal now goes to the Securities and Exchange Commission for approval. Under the proposed changes, a specialist firm must show it can meet, with its own liquid assets, a minimum capital requirement of $1 million or be able to buy 15,000 shares of each common stock in which it makes a market, whichever is greater. The rules currently require minimum capital of $100,000 or the ability to buy 5,000 shares in each stock in which it makes a market.