§20. Market reports

(a) Information

The Commission may conduct regular investigations of the markets for goods, articles, services, rights, and interests which are the subject of futures contracts, and furnish reports of the findings of these investigations to the public on a regular basis. These market reports shall, where appropriate, include information on the supply, demand, prices, and other conditions in the United States and other countries with respect to such goods, articles, services, rights, interests, and information respecting the futures markets.

(b) Avoidance of duplication

The Commission shall cooperate with the Department of Agriculture and any other Department or Federal agency which makes market investigations to avoid unnecessary duplication of information-gathering activities.

(c) Furnishing of information; confidentiality

The Department of Agriculture and any other Department or Federal agency which has market information sought by the Commission shall furnish it to the Commission upon the request of any authorized employee of the Commission. The Commission shall abide by any rules of confidentiality applying to such information.

(d) Disclosure of business transactions, market positions, trade secrets, or names of customers

The Commission shall not disclose in such reports data and information which would separately disclose the business transactions or market positions of any person and trade secrets or names of customers except as provided in section 12 of this title.

(e) Application

This section shall not apply to investigations involving any security underlying a security futures product.

(Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 369, §16, as added Pub. L. 93–463, title IV, §414, Oct. 23, 1974, 88 Stat. 1414; amended Pub. L. 97–444, title II, §232, Jan. 11, 1983, 96 Stat. 2320; Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(5) [title II, §251(e)], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–443.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2000—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–554 added subsec. (e).

1983—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–444 prohibited disclosure of market positions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1983 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 97–444 effective Jan. 11, 1983, see section 239 of Pub. L. 97–444, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.

Effective Date

For effective date of section, see section 418 of Pub. L. 93–463, set out as an Effective Date of 1974 Amendment note under section 2 of this title.

Study of Trading in Cattle Futures Contracts

Pub. L. 99–641, title I, §111, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3561, provided that:

"(a) Study.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct and complete a comprehensive study of the effect of trading in contracts for the future delivery of live cattle on the cash market price of live cattle, with particular emphasis on—

"(1) whether the reaction of the live cattle futures market to the results of the milk production termination program in March 1986, conducted under section 201(d)(3) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1446(d)(3)), was based on and accurately reflected the then prevailing conditions of supply and demand;

"(2) the effect of the trading in contracts for the future delivery of live cattle on—

"(i) the price relationship between feeder cattle and fed cattle;

"(ii) the price discovery process with respect to live cattle; and

"(iii) price competition within the cattle industry;

"(3) the effect of the use of packer contracts, as a means of obtaining slaughter cattle, on the increase in short hedging in contracts for the future delivery of live cattle and the effect of this increase in short hedging on prices in the futures and cash markets;

"(4) the effect on the ability of the cash markets to accurately reflect prevailing conditions of supply and demand if packer contracts become the prevalent method of marketing fed cattle;

"(5) whether the present delivery system for contracts for the future delivery of live cattle creates any bias (either upward or downward) in the cash price for cattle;

"(6) whether the present delivery system for contracts for the future delivery of live cattle creates price volatility during the delivery month; and

"(7) whether there are advantages or disadvantages to a cash settlement system in lieu of the present delivery system in the case of contracts for the future delivery of live cattle.

"(b) Reports.—

"(1) Preliminary report.—Not later than January 15, 1987, the Comptroller General shall submit a preliminary report on the results of the study required under subsection (a) to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.

"(2) Final report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 10, 1986], the Comptroller General shall submit to such committees a detailed final report of the results of the study required under subsection (a)."

Potato Futures Study; Submission of Report to Congress

Pub. L. 95–405, §27, Sept. 30, 1978, 92 Stat. 877, required, within one year of Oct. 1, 1978, Secretary of Agriculture to (1) conduct a comprehensive study of marketing of Irish potatoes and of making and trading of contracts of sale for future delivery of Irish potatoes, including rules and regulations pertaining to such trading issued by Commodity Futures Trading Commission or any contract market designated by Commission; and (2) submit to each House of Congress a detailed report on results of such study, and that report should also include any proposals Secretary may have concerning any legislation needed to implement such recommendations and concerning any modifications and rules and regulations needed to improve regulation of such contracts by Commission or any contract market designated by Commission.