On Jan. 31, CFTC fined trader $120k re spoofing soybeans.
- Charged, Kevin Crepeau a trader at a proprietary trading firm trading on CME.
Allegations
- In 2013-16, Crepeau placed orders to buy/sell futures contracts on soybeans,
soybean meal, and soybean oil, with intent to cancel orders before execution. - Used automated tool for small bid/offer on one side of market (genuine order).
- Manually put large bids or offers on the opposite side of market (spoof orders).
- Placed spoof orders with intent to induce other firms to fill genuine orders on
opposite side of the market, and cancelled spoofs when genuine orders filled. - CFTC order found that Crepeau repeated the trading pattern numerous times.
Settlement
- $120k civil penalty, and 4-month suspension of trading on registered entities.
