Futures broker Ann Barnhardt describes how the CME's failure to act as the clearing house backstop amplified the destructive MF Global aftermath, and destroyed confidence in the futures market leading her to close her brokerage. Barnhardt claims the CME did not fulfil fiduciary duties to ensure counterparty obligations were met.
In the first part of the interview "Ann Barnhardt: The Entire Futures/Options Market Has Been Destroyed by the MF Global Collapse" she claims that the CME failed the futures market "by not stepping forward, backstopping the MF Global client accounts and at the very least, the Merc should have allowed the MF Global customers to liquidate their accounts and then transfer to other firms. What the Merc did was the worst possible thing—they froze those people out of their accounts and didn’t allow them to liquidate while the markets continued to trade".
She also gives anecdotes of exactly what happened to some MF Global client accounts.
Notice: I am unable to verify any of her claims; and I do not endorse some of her claims. The CME Group's web page describes their clearing house role. I acknowledge James Puplava for this interview.
Take steps to protect your trading account by reading this article.
In the first part of the interview "Ann Barnhardt: The Entire Futures/Options Market Has Been Destroyed by the MF Global Collapse" she claims that the CME failed the futures market "by not stepping forward, backstopping the MF Global client accounts and at the very least, the Merc should have allowed the MF Global customers to liquidate their accounts and then transfer to other firms. What the Merc did was the worst possible thing—they froze those people out of their accounts and didn’t allow them to liquidate while the markets continued to trade".
She also gives anecdotes of exactly what happened to some MF Global client accounts.
Notice: I am unable to verify any of her claims; and I do not endorse some of her claims. The CME Group's web page describes their clearing house role. I acknowledge James Puplava for this interview.
Take steps to protect your trading account by reading this article.
The CME will not guarantee the funds that remain missing from MF Global customer accounts after they are reimbursed by the bankruptcy trustee.
ReplyDeleteSee Chicago Tribune article, Monday 12 Dec, 2011: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-cme-wont-guarantee-fund-that-remain-missing-from-mf-global-20111212,0,2513115.story