Tag: CFTC

Posted on

Article: US fines Deutsche Bank, UBS and HSBC over market manipulation

Article - Media, Publications

US fines Deutsche Bank, UBS and HSBC over market manipulation

Agence France-Presse, 30 January 2018

US authorities on Monday announced fines and charges against three major European banks and eight individuals accused of manipulating futures markets for precious metals.

Deutsche Bank, UBS and HSBC will together pay a total of $46.6 million to settle allegations that traders at the banks worked to manipulate futures markets in precious metals through a process known as “spoofing,” the Justice Department and Commodity Futures Trading Commission said.Seven former traders, including ex-UBS trader Andre Flotron, who was indicted last year, as well as a technology consultant, also face charges of “spoofing” — in which traders place and then abort trades to manipulate prices — on markets for various precious metals including gold and silver between early 2008 and about 2014. Continue reading “Article: US fines Deutsche Bank, UBS and HSBC over market manipulation”

Posted on

Article: Federal Charges Filed in Price ‘Spoofing’ Inquiry on Wall St.

Article - Media

Federal Charges Filed in Price ‘Spoofing’ Inquiry on Wall St.

Emily Flitter

New York Times, 29 January 2018

Federal authorities have filed civil and criminal charges against a group of Wall Street banks and individuals that they say tried to manipulate markets in gold, silver and certain financial products, including by showing potential customers fake prices.

The actions, filed over the past several days, are part of a yearslong effort by financial regulators and the Department of Justice to stamp out behavior that gives the biggest banks an advantage over smaller market players.

Read full article.

Posted on

Release: CFTC Orders Deutsche Bank to Pay $30 Million Penalty for Manipulation, Attempted Manipulation, and Spoofing In the Precious Metals Futures Markets

Release

CFTC Orders Deutsche Bank to Pay $30 Million Penalty for Manipulation, Attempted Manipulation, and Spoofing In the Precious Metals Futures Markets

CFTC, 29 January 2018

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order filing and settling charges against Deutsche Bank AG (DB AG) and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (DBSI) (collectively, DB), requiring DB to pay a $30 million civil monetary penalty and to undertake remedial relief. The Order finds that from at least February 2008 and continuing through at least September 2014, DB AG, by and through certain precious metals traders (Traders), engaged in a scheme to manipulate the price of precious metals futures contracts by utilizing a variety of manual spoofing techniques with respect to precious metals futures contracts traded on the Commodity Exchange, Inc. (COMEX), and by trading in a manner to trigger customer stop-loss orders.

Read full release.

Posted on

Article: CFTC Orders Deutsche Bank to Pay $30 Million Penalty for Manipulation, Attempted Manipulation, and Spoofing In the Precious Metals Futures Markets

Article - Media, Publications

CFTC Orders Deutsche Bank to Pay $30 Million Penalty for Manipulation, Attempted Manipulation, and Spoofing In the Precious Metals Futures Markets

CFTC Regulations, 29 January 2018

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order filing and settling charges against Deutsche Bank AG (DB AG) and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (DBSI) (collectively, DB), requiring DB to pay a $30 million civil monetary penalty and to undertake remedial relief. The Order finds that from at least February 2008 and continuing through at least September 2014, DB AG, by and through certain precious metals traders (Traders), engaged in a scheme to manipulate the price of precious metals futures contracts by utilizing a variety of manual spoofing techniques with respect to precious metals futures contracts traded on the Commodity Exchange, Inc. (COMEX), and by trading in a manner to trigger customer stop-loss orders. Continue reading “Article: CFTC Orders Deutsche Bank to Pay $30 Million Penalty for Manipulation, Attempted Manipulation, and Spoofing In the Precious Metals Futures Markets”

Posted on

Article: Deutsche Bank hit with spoofing fine by US Justice Department

Article - Media, Publications

Deutsche Bank hit with spoofing fine by US Justice Department

Deutsche Welle, 29 January 2018

US authorities have fined Deutsche Bank and two other European finance institutions for manipulating markets. Germany warned its best-known bank not to overdo bonuses — it’d be bad for its already soured image. Continue reading “Article: Deutsche Bank hit with spoofing fine by US Justice Department”

Posted on

Article: U.S. CFTC to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for spoofing, manipulation: sources

Article - Media, Publications

U.S. CFTC to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for spoofing, manipulation: sources

Reuters, 27 January 2018

The U.S. derivatives regulator is set to announce it has fined European lenders UBS, HSBC and Deutsche Bank millions of dollars each for so-called “spoofing” and manipulation in the U.S. futures market, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The enforcement action by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is the result of a multi-agency investigation that also involves the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – the first of its kind for the CFTC, the people said.

The fines for UBS and Deutsche Bank will be upward of ten million, while the fine for HSBC will be slightly less than that, the people said, without providing exact figures. Continue reading “Article: U.S. CFTC to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for spoofing, manipulation: sources”

Posted on

Article: US regulators to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for ‘spoofing’ and manipulation: Sources

Article - Media, Publications

US regulators to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for ‘spoofing’ and manipulation: Sources

Ruben Sprich, 29 January 2018

The U.S. derivatives regulator is set to announce it has fined European lenders UBS, HSBC, and Deutsche Bank millions of dollars each for so-called spoofing and manipulation in the U.S. futures market, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The enforcement action by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is the result of a multiagency investigation that also involves the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — the first of its kind for the CFTC, the people said.

The fines for UBS and Deutsche Bank will be upward of $10 million, while the fine for HSBC will be slightly less than that, the people said, without providing exact figures. Continue reading “Article: US regulators to fine UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC for ‘spoofing’ and manipulation: Sources”

Posted on

Article: Deutsche Bank Securities Fined $70 Million in Manipulation Case

Article - Media, Publications

Deutsche Bank Securities Fined $70 Million in Manipulation Case

TOM BEMIS, 02 January 2018

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., a unit of Deutsche Bank (DB) – Get Report , was fined $70 million as part of a settlement of charges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that it attempted to manipulate a key foreign exchange benchmark.

The CFTC found that DBSI made false reports and sought to manipulate the U.S. Dollar International Swaps and Derivatives Association Fix, used as a daily reference in a wide variety of interest-rate products.

The manipulations between 2007 and 2012 sought to benefit DBSI’s derivative positions, the CFTC said in a statement. Continue reading “Article: Deutsche Bank Securities Fined $70 Million in Manipulation Case”

Posted on

Article: ‘Spoofing’: The SEC Calls It Manipulation, But Will Court Agree?

Article - Media, Publications

‘Spoofing’: The SEC Calls It Manipulation, But Will Court Agree?

Michael A. Asaro,  17 July 2017

In recent years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Department of Justice have pursued an increasing number of cases involving a relatively new form of alleged market manipulation known as “spoofing.” See, e.g., U.S. v. Coscia, No. 14-cr-00551 (N.D. Ill.); In re Panther Energy Trading, CFTC Docket No. 13-26 (2013); CFTC v. Nav Sarao Futures, No. 15-cv-03398 (N.D. Ill.); In re Hold Brothers On-Line Investment Services, Exchange Act Release No. 67924 (SEC Sept. 25, 2012); SEC v. Lek Secs., No. 17-cv-1789 (S.D.N.Y.). Continue reading “Article: ‘Spoofing’: The SEC Calls It Manipulation, But Will Court Agree?”

Posted on

Article: Former Deutsche Bank trader banned for ‘spoofing’

Article - Media

Former Deutsche Bank trader banned for ‘spoofing’

Dave Michaels

MarketWatch, 2 June 2017

A former futures trader at Deutsche Bank AG was permanently barred from the industry after admitting he conspired to manipulate the price of gold and silver futures contracts.

David Liew, a trader who was based in Singapore, also pleaded guilty in federal criminal court in Illinois on Thursday to using illegal spoofing techniques from 2009 to 2012. Regulators and prosecutors have cracked down on spoofing, which involves sending fake offers intended to push prices in a direction that benefits the trader’s other orders. Congress made it illegal through the 2010 Dodd Frank financial overhaul law.

Read full article.

Posted on

Article: Deutsche Bank Fined $2.5 bln for Interest Rate Benchmarks Manipulation

Article - Media, Publications

Deutsche Bank Fined $2.5 bln for Interest Rate Benchmarks Manipulation

Victor Golovtchenko, 23 April 2015

Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky, announced today that Deutsche Bank will part with $2.5 billion to settle litigation costs related to manipulation of various interest rate benchmarks.

This is the biggest LIBOR investigations related fine to date, and surpasses Swiss bank’s Credit Suisse record. Besides installing an independent monitor for New York Banking Law violations, the largest German investment bank will also have to terminate and ban certain employees. Continue reading “Article: Deutsche Bank Fined $2.5 bln for Interest Rate Benchmarks Manipulation”

Posted on

Article: Six banks fined £2.6bn by regulators over forex failings

Article - Media, Publications

Six banks fined £2.6bn by regulators over forex failings

BBC NEws , 12 November 2014

Six banks have been collectively fined £2.6bn by UK and US regulators over their traders’ attempted manipulation of foreign exchange rates. HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Swiss bank UBS and US banks JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America have all been fined.

A separate probe into Barclays is continuing. The fines were issued by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and two US regulators.

The country’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued fines of $1.4bn to five banks, while the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) added $950m in further fines to three lenders. Separately, the Swiss regulator, FINMA, has penalised UBS 134m Swiss francs.

Barclays, which had been expected to announce a similar deal to the other banks, said it would not be settling at this time.

“After discussions with other regulators and authorities, we have concluded that it is in the interests of the company to seek a more general coordinated settlement,” it said in a statement.

Read Full Article

Posted on

Article: Merrill Lynch fined for violating cotton-speculation limits

Article - Media

Merrill Lynch fined for violating cotton-speculation limits

Kevin G. Hall

McClatchy Newspapers, 7 December  2011

A key financial regulator said Wednesday that it had fined Wall Street powerhouse Merrill Lynch $350,000 for violating rules that limit how many speculative contracts it can hold in markets where bets are made on the price of cotton for future delivery.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said that Merrill Lynch Commodities Inc., a subsidiary of Bank of America, repeatedly had violated limits on how many Cotton No. 2 futures contracts it was allowed to hold. Futures are bets on where the price of a given commodity will be for future delivery.

Read full article.

Posted on

Article: SEC under Schapiro struggles to turn around amid political, financial head winds

Article - Media

SEC under Schapiro struggles to turn around amid political, financial head winds

David S. Hilzenrath

Washington Post, 7 October 2011

Mary L. Schapiro took over a discredited SEC in early 2009 and vowed to rebuild it.

She promised tougher enforcement — “war without quarter” on financial fraud. Modernized rules to keep up with Wall Street. And a new, more effective organization.

Her tenure at the federal agency responsible for protecting investors and policing markets offers a Washington lesson: Even when epic crises create a sense of urgency, it is tough to tighten the reins on powerful industries. Dramatic results can prove elusive.

Read full article.

Posted on

Article: United States: Open-Market Manipulation Under SEC Rule 10b-5 And Its Analogues: Inappropriate Distinctions, Judicial Disagreement And Case Study: FERC’s Anti- Manipulation Rule

Article - Media, Publications

United States: Open-Market Manipulation Under SEC Rule 10b-5 And Its Analogues: Inappropriate Distinctions, Judicial Disagreement And Case Study: FERC’s Anti- Manipulation Rule

Maxwell K. Multer,  01 September 2011

Regulators have addressed market manipulation with Rule 10b-5 since its promulgation under the Securities Exchange Act in 1942. While Section 9 of the Securities Exchange Act addresses manipulation of securities prices, it requires the specific intent “for the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of such security by others”1 or “for the purpose of creating a false or misleading appearance [of market activity] . . ..”2 It is likely for that reason that prosecutors rarely use Section 9, choosing instead to bring manipulation proceedings under Rule 10b-5.3 But as the tools available for accomplishing market manipulation have evolved, the judicially narrowed contours of Rule 10b-5 may be such that certain new schemes escape liability. With modern advances in trade execution, market platforms and derivatives, it is now possible to accomplish a profitable market manipulation without engaging in any overtly fraudulent or illegal behavior.

Several courts have elected to distinguish between these alleged schemes and schemes which do include illegal behavior, employing a higher level of scrutiny and requiring proof of additional elements in the former situation. Manipulative schemes are referred to as “open market manipulations” when the alleged scheme is accomplished solely through the use of facially legitimate open market transactions. That is, where the manipulator has not engaged in any conduct that is inherently or otherwise illegal, such as fictitious transactions, wash sales or by disseminating false reporting. The transactions are seemingly legitimate, but for their manipulative intent and effect in combination. Continue reading “Article: United States: Open-Market Manipulation Under SEC Rule 10b-5 And Its Analogues: Inappropriate Distinctions, Judicial Disagreement And Case Study: FERC’s Anti- Manipulation Rule”

THE DOLLAR HAS NO INTRINSIC VALUE : DO YOUR ASSETS?