November 6, 2012 NFA announces workshop to assist SDs/MSPs in the 4s documents submission and review process National Futures Association will hold its first in a series of workshops to assist swap dealers (SD) and major swap participants (MSP) with the registration process. This three-hour workshop, presented by NFA staff, will be held at NYMEX World Headquarters in New York on November 28. The workshop will cover the registration process starting from the filing of Form 7R to the completion of all components required to obtain a provisional registration status. NFA staff also will discuss timelines for completing each registration…...

As 2012 comes to a close it’s apparent the commodity interest markets have had a tough year. We’ve continued to watch the developments of MF Global, seen Peregrine Financial Group (“PFG”) come unglued and nearly watched Knight Capital crumble after a trade error. We’ve seen commission rates continue lower, talked to clients who are uneasy about investing in our industry, and have had to deal with the many considerations of the Wall Street Reform Act (“Dodd Frank”). Yet, even with all the setbacks, the managed futures space has continued to grow; attracting interest from investors the world over. This article…...

As of September 1st, the NFA increased the financial reporting requirements for FCMs who hold customer funds pursuant to Section 16. In an effort to increase disclosure for the brokerage and investing community, the NFA’s Board of Directors decided in August to make those disclosures available on each FCM’s BASIC page. These reports should be available by November 1st. They will reflect information for each FCM as of September 30th. The NFA will be adding the three following reports for each FCM to their respective BASIC pages: The Capital Report This monthly report will be presented on a rolling 12…...

CME Group said it is buying the Kansas City Board of Trade for $126 million in cash. The derivatives exchange said buying the bourse, its first exchange purchase in five years, is a way to expand its agricultural products. The KCBT’s board selected CME over other exchanges, including BATS Global Markets and IntercontinentalExchange, sources said. The proposed deal makes the Minneapolis Grain Exchange the last independently owned agricultural exchange in the U.S. Reuters (10/17), Crain’s Chicago Business/Reuters (10/17), Bloomberg Businessweek (10/17), Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires (10/17), Reuters (10/18)...

FIA Special Alert Sept. 28, 2012 District Court Overturns CFTC Position Limit Rule Today the US District Court for the District of Columbia struck down the CFTC’s position limit rule, which was scheduled to go into effect on October 12, 2012. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs?the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. The court found that the CFTC “fundamentally misunderstood” the relevant provisions of Dodd-Frank and rejected the CFTC’s interpretation that Dodd-Frank makes the imposition of position limits “mandatory,” rather than “as appropriate” to prevent excessive speculation. The court stated…...

September 25, 2012 NFA announces second New York regulatory workshop for entities that currently operate commodity pools whose exemptions expire on December 31, 2012 NFA will present an encore workshop in New York for entities that, due to the recent CFTC rule amendments, are operating or advising commodity pools that had previously been exempt from registration as CPOs or CTAs. The addition of this second workshop is in response to the significant demand for the initial workshop, which will be held on September 27. The day-long, encore workshop, presented by NFA staff and other futures professionals, will focus on the…...

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently adopted CFTC Regulation 1.71 to implement new section 4d(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act, which requires FCMs and IBs to implement a conflict of interest system and procedures with respect to its research function and its trading and clearing activities. Except as for the requirements under Regulation 1.71(d) related to clearing activities, FCMs and IBs were required to be in compliance with Regulation 1.71 by August 3, 2012. Although the final rulemaking set a June 4, 2012 compliance date, the Commission issued a No-Action letter on June 1, 2012 extending the final compliance…...

Although it seems like only yesterday the National Introducing Brokers Association (“NIBA”) panel on “Assessing FCM Risk” took place over two weeks ago. If you were part of the standing room only audience thank you for attending! Your support meant a great deal to NIBA, Turnkey Trading Partners, and the other panelists. If you weren’t able to attend this year’s Chicago conference the following is a quick overview of what was discussed. If you’d like more details please see my pre-conference article “Your FCM; Hero or Villain?” or feel free to contact Turnkey Trading Partners at any time. 1. Review…...

Following the insolvency of PFGBest, CME Group has been accepting applications from farmers, ranchers and agricultural co-operatives to register for benefits under the CME Group Family Farmer & Rancher Protection Fund. In order for CME to begin paying benefits to qualifying customers under this Fund, Applications must be received by the close of business at 5:00pm Central Time, Friday, October 5, 2012. Following the October 5 deadline, CME Group expects to pay benefits to qualifying customers in the fourth quarter of this year. The following requirements apply to be considered for benefits: The applicant must be a farmer, rancher or…...

U.S. corn and soybean yields were dramatically reduced by the drought and heat wave of 2012. Hints of the drought began in mid-May as the coverage of subsoil dryness rapidly increased. Drought conditions reached a breaking point in mid-June when it became apparent that unusual warmth dating to November 2011 would continue. Close monitoring of weather and soil conditions helped our customers manage their risk leading into and during rapid upward price movements in each crop. Throughout 2012, the Pacific Ocean has warmed and the first El Niño event since July 2009 – April 2010 is beginning. Although the upcoming…...