FIA EVENTS » 6/10 - 6/11 IDX 2008 - International Derivatives Expo » 9/8 - 9/9 FIA OIC Equity Options Conference » 9/17 - 9/19 FIA 4th Annual Asia Derivatives Conference in Tokyo » 11/10 - 11/12 FIA 24th Annual Futures & Options Expo » 3/11 - 3/14 FIA 34th Annual International Futures Industry Conference - Boca 2009 DIVISION EVENTS » 5/7 - 5/9 FIA Law & Compliance Division Workshop » 5/15 FIA IT Division Annual Meeting » 8/7 FIA Chicago Summer Outing » 9/10 FIA Chicago Golf Outing » 9/22 FIA Futures Services Division Golf Outing View FI Calendar Congressional Agriculture Leaders to Announce Farm Bill Conference Agreement Washington, D.C. - Congressional negotiators will announce a final farm bill conference agreement May 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM EDT in 1300 Longworth House Office Building. The bipartisan, bicameral group will discuss the details of the final bill, which makes investments in conservation, energy, nutrition and rural development while continuing and strengthening farm income protection. The event will also be webcast on the House and Senate Agriculture Committee Websites at: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/audio.html or http://agriculture.senate.gov/ Read more » FIA Urges Farm Bill Conferees to Reject Sweeping Change to CFTC Powers On April 22, 2008, the FIA joined with three other trade associations in urging the members of the House and Senate conference committee on the farm bill to oppose amendments extending CFTC jurisdiction to retail trading in a host of commodity markets. The farm bill, H.R. 2419, includes a provision reauthorizing the CFTC and amending certain sections of the Commodity Exchange Act. The associations said they supported the expanded authority that the legislation grants to the CFTC with respect to retail trading in foreign exchange, but warned against extending that to include a wider range of leveraged, margined or financed commodity transactions. Any such amendment "risks changing the CFTC's statutory mission dramatically and could create problems worse than those sought to be addressed," the letter said. The other three associations were the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, the Managed Funds Association, and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. FIA Urges Indian Government to Drop Proposed Tax on Commodity Futures Transactions WASHINGTON, D.C.-April 23, 2008-The Futures Industry Association today released the text of a letter sent to the Indian government that expressed strong opposition to the recently proposed transaction tax on commodity futures. The letter was sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Minister of Finance P. Chidambaram, Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar and other senior government officials as well as key members of Parliament. In the letter, FIA President John Damgard described the "negative consequences" that typically flow from such proposed taxes, and warned that the proposed tax could result in driving trading volume to foreign exchanges and hampering the future growth of India's commodity futures exchanges. Read more » FIA Responds to the U.S. Treasury’s “Blueprint for Regulatory Reform WASHINGTON, D.C.—March 31, 2008—The Futures Industry Association today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Treasury Department’s proposed “blueprint for regulatory reform.” The FIA commends the Treasury Department for taking a comprehensive look at the U.S. regulatory system and for recognizing the many benefits of the regulatory system that now applies to U.S. futures markets administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The FIA has long agreed with Treasury’s view that modern market realities compel the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission to enhance their coordination and cooperation efforts. The Memorandum of Understanding recently entered into by the two agencies also reflects this view and the leadership of both agencies should be commended for their efforts. In the longer term, FIA stands ready to work with all interested parties on the many important issues raised by this proposal in order to develop constructive solutions that benefit our customers and the financial integrity of our markets. The FIA is the leading trade organization for the futures industry. Its membership includes the world’s largest futures brokers as well as leading derivatives exchanges from more than 20 countries. For more information, please contact Mary Ann Burns (maburns@futuresindustry.org) or Will Acworth (wacworth@futuresindustry.org) at (202) 466-5460. eClips Everyday by 9AM EST   Friday, May 09 CME rival ELX nears launch  185  A new lease of life for the LCH  106  Euthanizing Bear  70  Learned from my mistakes, Leeson says  62  CFTC Sues Bankrupt Sentinel  51  Singapore Exchange hit by technical glitch-traders  39  GLG Loses Another Executive  33  UBS to launch platinum exchange-traded notes  29  MTS Group strikes deal in Brazil  29  Fortress Puts Up a Loss As Public Life Proves Tough  24  AIG's Loss, Need for Cash Add to Pressure on Sullivan  24  Nasdaq OMX profit jumps as merger benefits kick in  22  Comment: Liffe offers remedies for the money market woes  20  JPMorgan to Start Yen Inflation Trading in Japan  20  Nasdaq first-quarter profit surges on boost from OMX buyout  18    Thursday, May 08 ICE says Climate Exchange to dominate carbon trade  181  Manipulation not raising commodity prices: CFTC  119  At CBOT, food fight well flagged  106  Boom in 'Dark Pool' Trading Networks Is Causing Headaches on Wall Street  106  ICE says may have to sell portion of NCDEX stake  88  Need for cost cuts will drive exchange M&A  78  Companies signed new deals to delay derivatives losses  69  What, CME Worry? (Hedgeworld login req.)  67  ICE CEO questions U.S. ethanol import tax  62  Liffe offers new contracts to Libor doubters  57  NYMEX to launch US Northeast carbon futures  46  Hedge funds trying to come out of the closet  46  Cantor expands in Singapore, targets hedge funds  44  Agflation: more to come, or past the peak?  42  D.Boerse eyes more debt to have manoueuvering room  39  Read More E-clips » E-clips users: Please note that these news stories are drawn from independent sources. The FIA does not verify or endorse any of these articles, and takes no responsibility for their contents. Please contact David Bruderle at the FIA if you have any questions or suggestions regarding this service. (202) 466-5460