Market Surveillance

CFTC Market Surveillance Program
The CFTC's market surveillance program is intended to preserve the economic functions of futures, options, and swaps markets. The Commission’s Market Surveillance Branch is focused on protecting market users and the public from fraud, manipulation and abusive practices that are prohibited by the Commodity Exchange Act, and fostering open, competitive, and financially sound derivatives markets.

Federal Speculative Position Limits
To protect futures markets from excessive speculation that can cause unreasonable or unwarranted price fluctuations, the Commodity Exchange Act authorizes the Commission to impose limits on the size of speculative positions in futures markets. The market surveillance branch enforces the Commission’s speculative position limit regulation.