River Intelligence
Sign up for our curated weekly newsletter delivering exclusive market insights to your inbox.
- Learning Center
- Glossary
- C
- Commodity Trading Futures Commission (CFTC)
Commodity Trading Futures Commission (CFTC)
The Commodity Trading Futures Commission (CFTC) regulates the futures contracts and options industry. Similar to the way the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates the bond and equity markets, the CFTC regulates risk management markets, otherwise known as futures and options markets.
Commodity futures began with agriculture. Since then, stock, index, and even interest rate futures have become tradable. Notably, it is illegal to partake in the futures market for onions following the Onion Futures Act of 1958.
Futures are contracts set for a predetermined price at a specified time in the future. Designated Contracts Markets and Swap Execution Facilities engage in and facilitate futures trading, so the CFTC is primarily concerned with regulating those organizations.
Related Terms
River Intelligence
Sign up for our curated weekly newsletter delivering exclusive market insights to your inbox.