US CFTC launches public consultation on 24/7 futures trading and perpetual energy contracts

Odaily reported that, according to an announcement by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the CFTC has officially launched a public consultation on two topics related to the energy derivatives market: extending standard futures contract trading hours to 7×24 and introducing perpetual contracts for storable energy commodities such as crude oil.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that this initiative aims to collect data-driven market feedback to better assess the impact of these innovations, supporting innovation while maintaining market integrity against manipulation and disruption.

The consultation focuses on two main areas: first, extending standard futures contracts to all-day trading while maintaining the fixed expiration date mechanism; second, studying the feasibility of perpetual contracts involving physical delivery of energy commodities. Feedback must be submitted within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.