US CFTC Seeks Public Comment on 24/7 Futures Trading and Energy Perpetual Contracts

According to an announcement by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the CFTC has formally initiated a request for public comment on two issues related to the energy derivatives market, including extending the trading hours of standard futures contracts to 24/7, and introducing perpetual contracts based on storable energy commodities such as crude oil.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that this initiative aims to gather data-driven market feedback to better assess the impact of related innovations on the market, supporting innovation while safeguarding the market against manipulation and disruption.

This request for comment primarily covers two aspects: first, extending standard futures contracts to around-the-clock trading while retaining the fixed maturity date mechanism; second, studying the feasibility of perpetual contracts involving physically delivered energy commodities. Comments must be submitted within 30 days of publication in the Federal Register.