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Market Information for National Day of Mourning, Wednesday, December 5, 2018
FIA has gathered the following information for individuals and companies who use the various financial markets on a daily basis. In observance of the National Day of Mourning to honor former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away November 30, US equity and fixed income markets will be closed on Wednesday, December 5. US equity index and fixed income futures and options markets will also be closed for trading during US business hours. All other US futures markets will open as usual.
CONTINUE READINGNeither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be: On CCPs and Banks
A central counterparty, viewed from an economic perspective, is a “commitment mechanism.” The ultimate function of a CCP is to assure performance of contract obligations between its members. They do so by becoming substituted counterparties to all trades submitted for clearing—becoming, in effect “the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer”—thereby ensuring the performance of open contracts.
CONTINUE READINGTAIFEX delivers a stellar performance and hits an all-time trading record in 2018
Overall trading volumes on the Taiwan Futures Exchange reached another all-time record in 2018. More than 308 million contracts were traded, an increase of 16% compared to the previous year. In addition to growth in the exchange's core products, two other distinct factors also contributed to this exciting growth: the popularity of TAIFEX's night session, which more than doubled compared to 2017, and the expanding participation of international investors, who now account for 20% of the exchange's total volume.
CONTINUE READINGManaging a Default: The Eurex Clearing Approach
Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, policymakers’ and legislators’ focus on the topic of clearinghouse resilience, recovery and resolution has been intense, with many experts and commentators warning of yet more severe consequences for the financial system should a central counterparty ever have issues or even go into default.
CONTINUE READINGCommentary: CFTC takes a new approach to position limits
"This may be the one case where the exception to the rule is more important than the rule itself." — CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert, Jan. 30, 2020
CONTINUE READINGInsight: The Importance of Deference
Welcome to the first issue of MarketVoice magazine and the new Insight column. As part of the expanded industry coverage in MarketVoice, I’ve set aside this column to explore key topics that are affecting our industry and membership.
CONTINUE READINGInsight: Making Cybersecurity a Priority
SADLY, IT IS MORE COMMON than not to be the victim of a cyber attack. As a former CFTC official, I found out recently that I was one of the four million current and former government officials who had their most personal information compromised by a breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management systems. And there have been plenty of similar headlines in the past year: Home Depot, Sony and Anthem just to name a few. Even FIA was the target of a “phishing” incident, requiring us to bolster our cyber defenses.
CONTINUE READINGInsight: Embracing Innovation
THIS SEPTEMBER, with just a few quick taps on a smartphone, an individual purchased £500,000-worth of gold bullion. The transaction took place on an app called BullionVault and more than 46 pounds of gold were transferred from Zurich vaults to the smartphone user. Importantly, it didn’t require a broker, an exchange, a clearinghouse or any of the regulatory apparatus that typically exists for such transactions.
CONTINUE READINGInsight: Oil Prices: A Study in Hedging Against Unpredictable Prices
Watching oil prices crash below $30 a barrel is a sobering lesson in the limits of our ability to predict the future. I was at the helm of the CFTC in 2008 when the price of oil topped $145 a barrel. At the time, certain members of the “Peak Oil” crowd were predicting $200 per barrel by that year’s end. As recently as last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast that Brent crude oil prices would average $58 per barrel in 2015 and $75 per barrel in 2016. EIA is now predicting Brent prices will average $38 per barrel in 2016, almost 50% lower than last year’s forecast.
CONTINUE READINGInsight: It Will Forever Be Known as the "Ham Sandwich" Hearing
In April, I appeared as a witness before our industry’s oversight body of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the impact of capital and margin requirements on end-users and our industry. Members of Congress were interested in how capital requirements and in particular the leverage ratio may increase the cost of clearing and reduce access to hedging by mistreating customer margin as bank leverage.
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