Alpari comments on new CFTC rules, tackles FIFO rule
Alpari (US) Comments on CFTC Ruling
The final Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) rules regarding off-exchange retail foreign currency trading were released on August 30, 2010. Alpari (US) (“Alpari”) would like to take this opportunity to address the rules and what it will mean for you and the company’s business.
Alpari supports the regulations recently enacted to protect traders and have been in touch with the NFA and CFTC to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the rule and its implications.
As a member of the NFA, Alpari has already been adhering to numerous significant regulations2 regarding off-exchange FX trading. As of October 18, 2010, these regulations, along with others, are now being mandated by the CFTC for the rest of the FX industry.
Highlights of the Upcoming CFTC Rule
When the new CFTC regulations go into effect on October 18, 2010, the U.S. FX industry will be subject to additional requirements:
- Alpari will be registered with the CFTC under the new registration category of Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (“RFED”). Since Alpari also offers exchange traded futures, Alpari will be dually registered as an FCM and RFED.
- Any Introducer who is domiciled in the U.S. will need to be registered with the NFA in the appropriate capacity for which their business is conducted, such as IB, CTA or CPO. The NFA Registration Department has stated that they will be expediting all applications prior to this date. Alpari will not be able to do business with these Introducers if they have a “pending” registration status with the NFA.
- U.S. RFED’s will be required to collect and maintain a security deposit of 2% of the notional value (50:1 leverage) of retail transactions for major currency pairs and 5% (20:1 leverage) for all others.3 Alpari received clarification from the NFA on what constitutes “major currency pairs.” A comprehensive list can be found within Section 12 of the NFA’s Financial Requirements.4
Effective October 18, 2010, all client account settings will be automatically adjusted to the new requirements. Alpari clients will be contacted in the coming days with more information about how their current trading activity will be affected.
Alpari is Available to Help
Alpari will continue to be in touch with the NFA and CFTC regarding these rules and is making it a top priority to keep customers continually informed about any pertinent information and changes to Alpari business practices.
As of September 2, 2010, the NFA began accepting applications for registration. Alpari is available to answer your questions about the registration process and offer assistance to IBs, CTA’s, CPO’s and others who need help registering with the NFA. Additionally, the NFA will be hosting Registration/Compliance Workshops for currently unregistered IBs, CTA’s and CPO’s at the Las Vegas Futures & Forex Forex Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Read this Term Expo, where Alpari (US) will be the Platinum sponsor. We encourage you to attend, and feel free to reach out to us during the expo with any questions you may have.
If you have further questions, our Client Services team is available by phone at 646-825-5760 or by email at cs@alpari-us.com. You can also visit us online at www.alpari-us.com.
About Alpari (US)
Alpari (US), LLC is one of a group of Alpari companies with operations in New York, London, Shanghai, Dubai, Frankfurt and Moscow. Founded in 1998, the Alpari Group is one of the world’s fastest growing providers of online foreign exchange (“FOREX”, “FX”) trading services, with offices in ten countries, including London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt, serving more than 150 countries. With over 400 employees worldwide, more than 330,000 customer accounts and monthly Forex Trading Forex Trading Forex trading is the buying and selling of foreign currencies with the aim of generating a profit. The value of currencies, especially floating currencies, fluctuate to varying degrees. This constant volatility of exchange rates opens the door for speculators to invest in a certain currency against another. The Forex market is the world’s biggest and most liquid market, with over $5 billion turnover every single day, with the market being open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.It goes without saying that forex trading is a very attractive market for not only banks and hedge funds, but even for the small individual trader, due to the low barriers for entry. One literally only needs a computer with an internet connection, and some money deposited with a forex broker. As a simple example, if you were very confident that the Euro (EUR) was going to gain strength against the US Dollar (USD) in the mid to long term, then you may decide to buy (or go long on) EUR/USD. If the EUR/USD was trading at 1.1500 at the time of purchase, a €10000 investment would have cost you $11500. As time goes by, if the EUR/USD gets stronger, e.g. its exchange rate moves to 1.2000 over the course of a few months, and you decided to close your trade there and then, you would have netted $12000, i.e. a profit of $500. No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Forex Trading Whilst forex trading is easy to delve into, it’s notoriously difficult to master, especially for those without a financial background. A lot of time and effort is needed to practice trading on demo and eventually on real accounts. No doubt it takes dedication, discipline and patience, along with developing an edge to beat the market. That edge is gained by studying at least one of two fields, known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. The former involves looking at currency charts, seeking out certain patterns using tools and software known as price action and indicators to help determine which way a particular forex pair may meander.By extension, the latter involves focusing on the latest news reports and geopolitical situation of the countries involved. Forex trading is the buying and selling of foreign currencies with the aim of generating a profit. The value of currencies, especially floating currencies, fluctuate to varying degrees. This constant volatility of exchange rates opens the door for speculators to invest in a certain currency against another. The Forex market is the world’s biggest and most liquid market, with over $5 billion turnover every single day, with the market being open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.It goes without saying that forex trading is a very attractive market for not only banks and hedge funds, but even for the small individual trader, due to the low barriers for entry. One literally only needs a computer with an internet connection, and some money deposited with a forex broker. As a simple example, if you were very confident that the Euro (EUR) was going to gain strength against the US Dollar (USD) in the mid to long term, then you may decide to buy (or go long on) EUR/USD. If the EUR/USD was trading at 1.1500 at the time of purchase, a €10000 investment would have cost you $11500. As time goes by, if the EUR/USD gets stronger, e.g. its exchange rate moves to 1.2000 over the course of a few months, and you decided to close your trade there and then, you would have netted $12000, i.e. a profit of $500. No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Forex Trading Whilst forex trading is easy to delve into, it’s notoriously difficult to master, especially for those without a financial background. A lot of time and effort is needed to practice trading on demo and eventually on real accounts. No doubt it takes dedication, discipline and patience, along with developing an edge to beat the market. That edge is gained by studying at least one of two fields, known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. The former involves looking at currency charts, seeking out certain patterns using tools and software known as price action and indicators to help determine which way a particular forex pair may meander.By extension, the latter involves focusing on the latest news reports and geopolitical situation of the countries involved. Read this Term volumes in excess of $147 billion,* the Alpari Group is one of the market leaders in Forex.
Alpari (US) was established in 2006. The company is based on Wall Street, in the financial district of New York City, where it is has been registered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and has been a member of the National Futures Association (NFA), Member ID: 0379678, since November 2007.
New FIFO technology:
Alpari (US), a leading provider of online foreign exchange (FOREX, FX) trading services, announced the creation of a proprietary netting plug-in, which addresses trading with the previously imposed NFA rule, "First in First Out (FIFO)." This proprietary technology allows traders to buy, sell and place opposite-side pending orders and net positions as one aggregated position. Alpari (US) developed this technology in-house and is the first company to offer this as a brand-new, unique trading functionality in the U.S. The NFA has reviewed use of this plug-in, which remains compliant with the FIFO trading rule.
Alpari (US) Comments on CFTC Ruling
The final Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) rules regarding off-exchange retail foreign currency trading were released on August 30, 2010. Alpari (US) (“Alpari”) would like to take this opportunity to address the rules and what it will mean for you and the company’s business.
Alpari supports the regulations recently enacted to protect traders and have been in touch with the NFA and CFTC to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the rule and its implications.
As a member of the NFA, Alpari has already been adhering to numerous significant regulations2 regarding off-exchange FX trading. As of October 18, 2010, these regulations, along with others, are now being mandated by the CFTC for the rest of the FX industry.
Highlights of the Upcoming CFTC Rule
When the new CFTC regulations go into effect on October 18, 2010, the U.S. FX industry will be subject to additional requirements:
- Alpari will be registered with the CFTC under the new registration category of Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (“RFED”). Since Alpari also offers exchange traded futures, Alpari will be dually registered as an FCM and RFED.
- Any Introducer who is domiciled in the U.S. will need to be registered with the NFA in the appropriate capacity for which their business is conducted, such as IB, CTA or CPO. The NFA Registration Department has stated that they will be expediting all applications prior to this date. Alpari will not be able to do business with these Introducers if they have a “pending” registration status with the NFA.
- U.S. RFED’s will be required to collect and maintain a security deposit of 2% of the notional value (50:1 leverage) of retail transactions for major currency pairs and 5% (20:1 leverage) for all others.3 Alpari received clarification from the NFA on what constitutes “major currency pairs.” A comprehensive list can be found within Section 12 of the NFA’s Financial Requirements.4
Effective October 18, 2010, all client account settings will be automatically adjusted to the new requirements. Alpari clients will be contacted in the coming days with more information about how their current trading activity will be affected.
Alpari is Available to Help
Alpari will continue to be in touch with the NFA and CFTC regarding these rules and is making it a top priority to keep customers continually informed about any pertinent information and changes to Alpari business practices.
As of September 2, 2010, the NFA began accepting applications for registration. Alpari is available to answer your questions about the registration process and offer assistance to IBs, CTA’s, CPO’s and others who need help registering with the NFA. Additionally, the NFA will be hosting Registration/Compliance Workshops for currently unregistered IBs, CTA’s and CPO’s at the Las Vegas Futures & Forex Forex Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Read this Term Expo, where Alpari (US) will be the Platinum sponsor. We encourage you to attend, and feel free to reach out to us during the expo with any questions you may have.
If you have further questions, our Client Services team is available by phone at 646-825-5760 or by email at cs@alpari-us.com. You can also visit us online at www.alpari-us.com.
About Alpari (US)
Alpari (US), LLC is one of a group of Alpari companies with operations in New York, London, Shanghai, Dubai, Frankfurt and Moscow. Founded in 1998, the Alpari Group is one of the world’s fastest growing providers of online foreign exchange (“FOREX”, “FX”) trading services, with offices in ten countries, including London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt, serving more than 150 countries. With over 400 employees worldwide, more than 330,000 customer accounts and monthly Forex Trading Forex Trading Forex trading is the buying and selling of foreign currencies with the aim of generating a profit. The value of currencies, especially floating currencies, fluctuate to varying degrees. This constant volatility of exchange rates opens the door for speculators to invest in a certain currency against another. The Forex market is the world’s biggest and most liquid market, with over $5 billion turnover every single day, with the market being open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.It goes without saying that forex trading is a very attractive market for not only banks and hedge funds, but even for the small individual trader, due to the low barriers for entry. One literally only needs a computer with an internet connection, and some money deposited with a forex broker. As a simple example, if you were very confident that the Euro (EUR) was going to gain strength against the US Dollar (USD) in the mid to long term, then you may decide to buy (or go long on) EUR/USD. If the EUR/USD was trading at 1.1500 at the time of purchase, a €10000 investment would have cost you $11500. As time goes by, if the EUR/USD gets stronger, e.g. its exchange rate moves to 1.2000 over the course of a few months, and you decided to close your trade there and then, you would have netted $12000, i.e. a profit of $500. No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Forex Trading Whilst forex trading is easy to delve into, it’s notoriously difficult to master, especially for those without a financial background. A lot of time and effort is needed to practice trading on demo and eventually on real accounts. No doubt it takes dedication, discipline and patience, along with developing an edge to beat the market. That edge is gained by studying at least one of two fields, known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. The former involves looking at currency charts, seeking out certain patterns using tools and software known as price action and indicators to help determine which way a particular forex pair may meander.By extension, the latter involves focusing on the latest news reports and geopolitical situation of the countries involved. Forex trading is the buying and selling of foreign currencies with the aim of generating a profit. The value of currencies, especially floating currencies, fluctuate to varying degrees. This constant volatility of exchange rates opens the door for speculators to invest in a certain currency against another. The Forex market is the world’s biggest and most liquid market, with over $5 billion turnover every single day, with the market being open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.It goes without saying that forex trading is a very attractive market for not only banks and hedge funds, but even for the small individual trader, due to the low barriers for entry. One literally only needs a computer with an internet connection, and some money deposited with a forex broker. As a simple example, if you were very confident that the Euro (EUR) was going to gain strength against the US Dollar (USD) in the mid to long term, then you may decide to buy (or go long on) EUR/USD. If the EUR/USD was trading at 1.1500 at the time of purchase, a €10000 investment would have cost you $11500. As time goes by, if the EUR/USD gets stronger, e.g. its exchange rate moves to 1.2000 over the course of a few months, and you decided to close your trade there and then, you would have netted $12000, i.e. a profit of $500. No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Forex Trading Whilst forex trading is easy to delve into, it’s notoriously difficult to master, especially for those without a financial background. A lot of time and effort is needed to practice trading on demo and eventually on real accounts. No doubt it takes dedication, discipline and patience, along with developing an edge to beat the market. That edge is gained by studying at least one of two fields, known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. The former involves looking at currency charts, seeking out certain patterns using tools and software known as price action and indicators to help determine which way a particular forex pair may meander.By extension, the latter involves focusing on the latest news reports and geopolitical situation of the countries involved. Read this Term volumes in excess of $147 billion,* the Alpari Group is one of the market leaders in Forex.
Alpari (US) was established in 2006. The company is based on Wall Street, in the financial district of New York City, where it is has been registered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and has been a member of the National Futures Association (NFA), Member ID: 0379678, since November 2007.
New FIFO technology:
Alpari (US), a leading provider of online foreign exchange (FOREX, FX) trading services, announced the creation of a proprietary netting plug-in, which addresses trading with the previously imposed NFA rule, "First in First Out (FIFO)." This proprietary technology allows traders to buy, sell and place opposite-side pending orders and net positions as one aggregated position. Alpari (US) developed this technology in-house and is the first company to offer this as a brand-new, unique trading functionality in the U.S. The NFA has reviewed use of this plug-in, which remains compliant with the FIFO trading rule.