Energy users demand trading oversight

The debate continues over whether speculative traders are distorting energy prices, following a letter sent by the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) to Congress last week. “Energy markets have changed drastically, and regulatory oversight, transparency and limits to rampant speculation by traders, particularly unregulated hedge funds, is needed to meet the challenge,” said the DC-based trade body in the November 17 letter.

IECA wants to see the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) return to the level of oversight it had in 2000, before the introduction of the US Commodity Futures Modernisation Act (CFMA) in 2000. It also wants to see regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market. The CFTC, on the other hand, feels the energy markets are working well as they are.

The CFMA relaxed CFTC oversight in certain areas, one beneficiary of which was major energy exchange the New York Mercantile Exchange

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