by Jeff Yoders on AUGUST 23, 2016

The London Metal Exchange and CME Group took action recently to, respectively, cut fees for traders and stop a spoofer.

We’re Sorry: LME Cuts Fees

The London Metal Exchange has cut fees in half for open outcry trades during August as a goodwill gesture after it had to vacate its premises because of structural problems, it said on Monday.

Ring trading moved to its disaster recovery site in Chelmsford, east of London, in July after a potential safety issue was discovered in the building that houses its offices in London’s financial district.

CME Suspends Spoofer

CME Group, Inc. suspended a futures trader from its markets for spoofing on Monday, the exchange operator said, the latest regulatory action over the manipulative trading practice.

The company — which owns Comex, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and other exchanges — barred Andrey Sakharov from trading for 60 days and could extend his ban, according to a disciplinary notice.

On multiple dates starting last month, Sakharov entered electronic orders in CME’s gold and natural gas markets that he did not intend to trade, the disciplinary notice said.

The practice of placing bids to buy or offers to sell contracts with the intent to cancel them before execution is known as spoofing and is illegal. It is used to create an illusion of demand in markets, so that spoofers can influence prices to benefit their market positions.

Source: MetalMiner