Request for Comment on the Extension of Standard Futures Contracts to 24/7 Trading and on Perpetual Contracts Referencing Physically Delivered or Storable Energy Commodities
AI Analysis
The CFTC has extended the public comment period for its June 25, 2026 request for comment on 24/7 trading of standard futures contracts and on perpetual contracts referencing physically delivered or storable energy commodities. The new deadline is August 26, 2026, and the Commission also added a specific request for comment on CME NYMEX’s self-certified 24/7 crude oil contract that the CFTC stayed on July 9, 2026.
Key dates
- 2026-06-25
- CFTC published the original request for comment in the Federal Register at 91 FR 38334
- 2026-07-08
- CME NYMEX self-certified a 24/7 oil contract
- 2026-07-09
- CFTC stayed the self-certified 24/7 oil contract
- 2026-07-28
- CFTC published the extension of the comment period at 91 FR 47158
- 2026-08-26 Deadline
- Extended comment deadline for the request for comment
Suggested considerations
- Compliance teams may wish to assess whether existing trading, clearing, settlement, surveillance, and customer-protection controls would function on a 24/7 basis.
- Firms may wish to review the CFTC’s additional questions on the stayed CME NYMEX crude oil contract and consider whether their comments should address execution, settlement, market integrity, and operational resilience issues.
- Market participants may wish to prepare data-driven comments, because the CFTC’s consultation is focused on factual and empirical input rather than conclusory policy statements.
- Firms considering perpetual or around-the-clock products may wish to map any dependencies on payment systems, margin processes, and holiday/weekend operational support before submitting comments.
What changed
This publication does not impose a new binding rule; it extends the comment deadline for an existing request for comment by 30 days. The underlying consultation covers two issues: whether standard futures contracts, including energy futures, can trade on a 24/7 basis without changing expiration, delivery, or settlement terms, and whether perpetual contracts referencing physically delivered or storable energy commodities should be permitted. The Commission also added targeted questions on the self-certified 24/7 oil contract listed by CME’s NYMEX on July 8, 2026 and stayed by the CFTC on July 9, 2026. The filing is a proposed rule in 17 CFR Part 1, with RIN 3038-AF75, and the comment period now runs through August 26, 2026.
Compliance impact
The practical impact is moderate but broad for energy derivatives and exchange-traded products: the CFTC is signaling active scrutiny of 24/7 trading models and perpetual contracts, especially where physical delivery or storability of the underlying commodity is relevant. The extension gives firms more time to submit comments, but the consultation itself indicates the Commission is evaluating poss
Who is affected
Related regulations
References
AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original CFTC source before acting. Full disclaimer.
What the CFTC said
Request for comment; extension of comment period. On June 25, 2026, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("Commission" or "CFTC") published in the Federal Register a request for comment ("RFC") titled "Request for Comment on the Extension of Standard Futures Contracts to 24/7 Trading and on Perpetual Contracts…
Extract from CFTC . Read the full notice at the source for the authoritative text.