CFTC Reviewing Over 1 Million E-mails in ISDAfix Interest-rate Swaps Investigation

CFTC investigators are reviewing over one million e-mails and instant messages as part of an investigation into possible price manipulation of ISDAfix interest-rate swaps. The electronic communication search comes just a few months after the records were collected under subpoena for evidence that the...

SEF Rules Approval Leads to Early December Projection for Transacting all Standardized Swaps on SEFs

With the CFTC’s approval of the SEF rules last Thursday, swap users and would-be SEFs are targeting early December as the time when all swap users will be transacting standardized swaps on SEFs. According to Reuters, the exact date is still a moving target until the CFTC publishes the rules in the...

CFTC Approves SEF Rules and Swaps Block Rule

On Thursday the CFTC approved the Swaps Block Rule, the Made Available to Trade Rule, the SEF rules, and the Interpretive Guidance and Policy Statement on Disruptive Practices.The Swaps Block Rule and the Made Available to trade rule were passed 3-2, the SEF rules were passed 4-1 and the Interpretive...

CFTC Approves Trade Execution Rules

At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, the CFTC held an open meeting to consider trade execution rules and interpretive guidance regarding anti-disruptive trading practices authority. The final rules being that were voted on included: Procedures to Establish Appropriate Minimum Block Sizes for Large Notional...

CFTC to Propose New Rule on Position Limits by June

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) intends to will reveal it’s new rule on speculative positions limits within the next six weeks. The news comes after the agency’s previous attempt to have the rule passed was rejected in a September 2012 court ruling. The original rule approved by the CFTC...

CFTC to Investigate EFS trades in Energy and Metal Markets

The Commodity Futures Trading Commision (CFTC) is investigating a large number of trades in energy and metal markets to determine whether traders illegally used over-the-counter swaps markets to trade futures. According to Reuters, the CFTC has asked the largest banks for data going back to 2010 as part of...

CFTC May Make Changes to Proposed Dodd-Frank Rule Regarding FCMs

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is considering making adjustments to the Enhancing Protections Afforded Customers and Customer Funds Held by Futures Commission Merchants and Derivatives Clearing Organizations proposed rule. According to CNBC, it is still unclear what changes the CFTC will...

CFTC to Vote on Dodd-Frank SEF Rules

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will vote next week on the Swap Execution Facilities (SEF) rules overseeing derivatives under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. On May 9th, the CFTC issued a notice saying a formal vote will take place on May 16th to finalize the SEF rules that were...

CFTC Considering Lower Price Quote Requirement for Dodd-Frank Swap Rule

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is reportedly contemplating lowering the number of price quotes a buyer is required to request before trading swaps. According to Bloomberg News, three people briefed on the matter, who requested anonymity because the rule is still under consideration,...

CFTC Discussing Bitcoin Regulation

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is reportedly “seriously” looking into whether Bitcoin may fall under its scope. Bitcoin, which was founded in 2009 as a decentralized, digital currency, has seen a spike in value in recent months, as concerns grow over traditional bank deposits and...