Posts Tagged ‘Gary Gensler’

Poisoning the well

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Just two days before a public meeting at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to “examine the trading of futures and options in the precious and base metals markets,” one CFTC Commissioner is not waiting to hear what the industry players have to say before coming to a conclusion on policy. CFTC Commissioner Bart Chilton in an interview with Kitco News said, “I have called Congress to amend our statute to give us the tools we need to deter, detect, and prosecute behavior that harms the pricing functionality of markets.”
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Welcome to Boca

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler has not endeared himself to the industry since taking the reins of the industry regulator. It has been an odd honeymoon as Gensler’s nomination was being held up by Senators concerned over his past advocacy of keeping over-the-counter trading free from direct regulation.

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Demonizing derivatives

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler kicked off the new year by outlining his goals for regulatory reform in a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations today. In it, Gensler blamed over the counter (OTC) derivatives for much of the financial crisis of 2008. “I believe that over the counter derivatives were at the heart of the crisis. We have all witnessed firsthand the effects that unregulated derivatives had across the entire economy,” he said. (more…)

Regulation replay at FIA

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Regulation talk was all the rage at the Futures Industry Association’s annual expo in Chicago today. In his keynote address, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler reiterated past talk about over the counter (OTC) derivatives clearing reform and CFTC-SEC harmonization. Exchange leaders also weighed in with thoughts about how some of the proposals coming down the pike could make the U.S. futures industry less competitive.

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Show time

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

On the eve of the annual Futures Industry Association’s Futures and Options Expo there is a lot of activity and rumors floating around.

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Speculators: In vogue again

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

As a reporter covering the futures markets, it’s not often that the mainstream media has its eye on what’s going on in my world. But on my way past a newsstand this afternoon, I noticed that the front pages of both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal (admittedly, not quite as mainstream) featured stories about the thing that’s got traders buzzing again: Washington attacks on speculators. The speculation blame game is nothing new (in fact, this time last year several mainstream media outlets got into the act of covering it, including 60 Minutes, in an infamous and much-maligned-within-the-industry piece). Last summer there were hearings galore in the House and Senate blaming speculators for the rising price of oil, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said all evidence was to the contrary. But this time, it’s different.

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Gensler talks OTC reform

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee today, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler laid out some objectives for the regulation of over the counter derivatives, including modification of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). OTC derivatives are still a hot topic in the industry, especially after President Obama’s regulatory reform proposal last week called for both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and CFTC to have a hand in regulating them. (more…)

SEC stripped?

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has, to put it mildly, had a not-so-great record of keeping fraud in check over the past few years, and now the U.S. government could be taking action. The Obama administration could strip the SEC of some of its powers as part of a regulatory overhaul, according to Bloomberg. While the story merely speculates on the removal of powers, some of which would be handed over to the Federal Reserve, it’s an interesting idea and raises questions about where regulation in the United States is headed. (more…)

Options bigs talk shorts

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Regulatory issues are all the rage today in Weston, Florida, at the 27th Annual Options Industry Conference. At a press breakfast this morning, Chicago Board Options Exchange Chairman Bill Brodsky discussed the changing of the guard at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He called new SEC chair Mary Schapiro “as well qualified as anyone in recent history” and said the SEC “has a really good cadre of commissioners.” Meanwhile, confirmation for President Obama’s nomination to head the CFTC, Gary Gensler, is being held up by various political stalemates in the Senate. Brodsky said he “doesn’t know whether [Gensler] will make it” but hopes to see him get the job.

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Worst inauguration day for Dow

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Today was the worst inauguration day performance in the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s history, according to Dow Jones. The Dow closed below 8,000 for the first time since Nov. 20 and had its largest daily point and percent drop since Dec. 1.

President Barack Obama in his inaugural address today spoke of the economic dilemmas he’s inheriting. Here are some highlights:

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