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What is the commodity futures trading commission?
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent government agency that regulates the futures market.
Futures are not considered securities, so the CFTC has jurisdiction over such exchanges while the SEC does not. The CFTC is the regulatory authority for the futures trade. This includes futures on currency, indexes, and stocks.
Futures are not technically considered securities, because a security is defined as a contract that depends on the performance of a third party, while futures contracts only depend on two people. Any options that stem from futures are considered securities, however.
The SEC regulates securities in general but the CTFC has some authority over options that relate to commodities. Among the CFTC’s duties is to set limits on the allowable speculative position in any one commodity.
It came under fire after the 2008 crash when it was revealed that many exceptions to the limits had been granted to large institutions who became overly leveraged. Besides futures and options, the CFTC regulates swaps as well, collectively referring to the three as “referenced contracts.”
The CFTC monitors large positions and operates a whistleblower program to encourage those who have learned of unethical behavior to come forward.
Can I Withdraw Money From My Defined Benefit Plan?
While you are working for your employer, you typically may not withdraw money from your Defined Benefit Plan
Can I Take a Loan From my Cash-Balance Plan?
The IRS permits such loans, but it is rare to find a plan that allows it. In the vast majority of cases, you cannot
What is Income Risk?
Income risk is the chance that an investment which is used for income will fluctuate in an unfavorable way
What are Investment Ideas?
Investment ideas are published by websites to educate and inform people about possible ways to make money investing
What is a Life Estate?
A life estate is often created by an older parent when they sign over the house to their adult children
What is IRS Publication 513, Tax Information for Visitors to the United States?
Despite how it sounds, this publication is not meant for tourists to the US, but rather for non-US-citizen workers
How to use Open Interest in trading
Open interest, or OI, can be a very important number for futures, options, and other derivative markets. Open Interest is technically more like the number of outstanding shares
What is 'Pro Forma'?
In a financial statement, “Pro Forma” refers to how figures are presented either in present form or as projections
What is Foreign Investment Funds (FIF) tax?
New Zealand and Australia have a tax for offshore investments that fall into the definition of Foreign Investment Funds
What is a Money Market?
Money market securities are essentially IOUs issued by governments, financial institutions and large corporations