Agency Narrowly Votes to Curb Derivatives Trades; Precious Metals Affected
The United States pushed through its toughest measures yet to curtail speculation in commodity markets in a tight vote on Tuesday, likely shifting the focus of a fierce four-year debate from the regulators to the courts.
In a measure decried by Wall Street and trading companies as a misguided political attempt to cap soaring oil and grain prices, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission voted 3-2 to approve "position limits" that will cap the number of
futures and swaps contracts that any single speculator can hold.
The rule offers some relief for the industry, relenting on several highly contentious provisions, as expected.
But that will do little to temper frustration over a plan that could force banks like
Morgan Stanley and traders including grains giant Cargill to scale back business, and could stanch the flow of financial capital into commodities...
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/233437/20111018/commodities-markets-futures-trading-commission.htm