SEF Volumes Likely to Ramp Up in Early 2014

Javelin SEF is the first swaps execution facility (SEF) operator to submit a list of potential instruments that the electronic trading platform would like to “make available to trade” to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Bloomberg’s Silla Brush reported on October 19.

Greenwich Associates’ Kevin McPartland, who is quoted in the story, offers expanded analysis in a blog post of his own.

It’s not surprising that an all-electronic operation like Javelin was the first to break the surface tension with such a broad instrument list since it has no interest of keeping these transaction voice-based.

The CFTC has 90 days to decide whether to approve or reject Javelin SEF’s list. If it does not extend its decision deadline, traders will be required to execute trades for dollar-, sterling- and euro-denominated interest rate swaps on SEFs starting in mid-January 2014.

The regulator also started the clock ticking on a 30-day industry comment period for the SEF’s list that began on the filing date and, hopefully, will provide interesting opinions.