17 CFR § 150.2 - Federal speculative position limits.

(a) Spot month speculative position limits. For physical-delivery referenced contracts and, separately, for cash-settled referenced contracts, no person may hold or control positions in the spot month, net long or net short, in excess of the levels specified by the Commission.

(b) Single month and all-months-combined speculative position limits. For any referenced contract, no person may hold or control positions in a single month or in all-months-combined (including the spot month), net long or net short, in excess of the levels specified by the Commission.

(c) Relevant contract month. For purposes of this part, for referenced contracts other than core referenced futures contracts, the spot month and any single month shall be the same as those of the relevant core referenced futures contract.

(d) Core referenced futures contracts. Federal speculative position limits apply to referenced contracts based on the following core referenced futures contracts:

(e) Establishment of speculative position limit levels. The levels of Federal speculative position limits are fixed by the Commission at the levels listed in appendix E to this part.

(f) Designated contract market estimates of deliverable supply. Each designated contract market listing a core referenced futures contract shall supply to the Commission an estimated spot month deliverable supply upon request by the Commission, and may supply such estimates to the Commission at any other time. Each estimate shall be accompanied by a description of the methodology used to derive the estimate and any statistical data supporting the estimate, and shall be submitted using the format and procedures approved in writing by the Commission. A designated contract market should use the guidance regarding deliverable supply in appendix C to part 38 of this chapter.

(g) Pre-existing positions -

(1) Pre-existing positions in a spot month. A spot month speculative position limit established under this section shall apply to pre-existing positions, other than pre-enactment swaps and transition period swaps.

(2) Pre-existing positions in a non-spot month. A single month or all-months-combined speculative position limit established under this section shall apply to pre-existing positions, other than pre-enactment swaps and transition period swaps.

(h) Positions on foreign boards of trade. The speculative position limits established under this section shall apply to a person's combined positions in referenced contracts, including positions executed on, or pursuant to the rules of, a foreign board of trade, pursuant to section 4a(a)(6) of the Act, provided that:

(1) Such referenced contracts settle against any price (including the daily or final settlement price) of one or more contracts listed for trading on a designated contract market or swap execution facility that is a trading facility; and

(2) The foreign board of trade makes available such referenced contracts to its members or other participants located in the United States through direct access to its electronic trading and order matching system.

(i) Anti-evasion provision. For the purposes of applying the speculative position limits in this section, if used to willfully circumvent or evade speculative position limits:

(1) A commodity index contract, monthly average pricing contract, outright price reporting agency index contract, and/or a location basis contract shall be considered to be a referenced contract;

(2) A bona fide hedging transaction or position recognition or spread exemption shall no longer apply; and

(3) A swap shall be considered to be an economically equivalent swap.

(j) Delegation of authority to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight.

(1) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority in paragraph (f) of this section to request estimated spot month deliverable supply from a designated contract market and to provide the format and procedures for submitting such estimates.

(2) The Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this section.

(3) Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.

(k) Eligible affiliates and aggregation. For purposes of this part, if an eligible affiliate meets the conditions for any exemption from aggregation under § 150.4, the eligible affiliate may choose to utilize that exemption, or it may opt to be aggregated with its affiliated entities.

[86 FR 3465, Jan. 14, 2021]