95-19982. Foreign Option Transactions; Material Changes in Terms and Conditions of Option Contract  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 156 (Monday, August 14, 1995)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Pages 41802-41804]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-19982]
    
    
    
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    COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
    
    17 CFR Part 30
    
    
    Foreign Option Transactions; Material Changes in Terms and 
    Conditions of Option Contract
    
    AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
    
    ACTION: Final rule.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) is 
    publishing notice of certain material changes in the terms and 
    conditions of the option contract on the MIBOR '90 futures contract 
    traded on the MEFF Sociedad Rectora de Productos Financieros Derivados 
    de Renta Fija, S.A. (MEFF Renta Fija) to be offered or sold to persons 
    located in the United States. The initial order permitting, among 
    others, option contracts on the MIBOR '90 futures contract to be 
    offered or sold to persons in the United States was issued on June 5, 
    1995, 60 FR 30462 (June 9, 1995), pursuant to Commission rule 30.3(a), 
    17 CFR 30.3(a), which makes it unlawful for any person to engage in the 
    offer or sale of a foreign option product until the Commission, by 
    order, authorizes such foreign option to be offered or sold in the 
    United States.
    
    EFFECTIVE DATE: August 14, 1995.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane C. Kang, Esq., or Robert 
    Rosenfeld, Esq., Division of Trading and Markets, Commodity Futures 
    Trading Commission, 2033 K Street, N.W., 
    
    [[Page 41803]]
    Washington, D.C. 20581. Telephone: (202) 254-8955.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission has issued the following 
    Notice:
    
        Notice of Certain Material Changes in Terms and Conditions of 
    the Option Contract on the MIBOR '90 Futures Contract Previously 
    Approved Under Commission Rule 30.3(a) Permitting Option Contracts 
    on MEFF Renta Fija to be Offered or Sold in the United States.
    
        By Order issued on June 5, 1988 (Initial Order), the Commission 
    authorized, pursuant to Commission rule 30.3(a),1 certain option 
    products traded on the MEFF Renta Fija to be offered or sold in the 
    United States. 60 FR 30462 (June 9, 1995). Among other conditions, the 
    Initial Order specified that:
    
        \1\ Commission rule 30.3(a), 17 CFR 30.3(a), makes it unlawful 
    for any person to engage in the offer or sale of a foreign option 
    product until the Commission, by order, authorizes such foreign 
    option to be offered or sold in the United States.
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        Except as otherwise permitted under the Commodity Exchange Act 
    and regulations thereunder, * * * no offer or sale of any MEFF Renta 
    Fija option product in the United States shall be made until thirty 
    days after publication in the Federal Register of notice specifying 
    the particular option(s) to be offered or sold pursuant to this 
    Order.
    
        By letter dated July 6, 1995, MEFF Renta Fija through its counsel 
    represented that it would be replacing the existing option contract on 
    the MIBOR '90 futures contract with the option on the MIBOR '90 Plus 
    futures contract, which has a notional value ten (10) times greater 
    than the MIBOR '90 futures contract underlying the option previously 
    approved by the Initial Order.2 Counsel has confirmed that the 
    options on the MIBOR '90 Plus futures contract commenced trading on 
    June 12, 1995 and that the option on the MIBOR '90 futures contract has 
    now been delisted.
    
        \2\ See letter dated July 6, 1995 from Philip McBride Johnson, 
    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to Jean A. Webb, CFTC 
    Secretary.
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        MEFF Renta Fija has requested that the Commission confirm that its 
    Initial Order authorizing options on the MIBOR '90 futures contract, 
    the monthly option on the 10-year Government Bond futures contract and 
    the Quarterly option on the 10-year Government bond futures contract, 
    is amended to substitute options on the MIBOR '90 Plus futures contract 
    for the previously approved MIBOR '90 option contract. Since the 
    increase in the notional value of the futures contract underlying the 
    previously authorized MIBOR '90 option is considered to be a material 
    change in the existing option contract, the Commission is publishing 
    the new terms and conditions of the option contract on the MIBOR '90 
    Plus futures contract for notice purposes only. The Commission also is 
    amending Appendix B to Part 30 of its regulations to reflect this 
    change.
    Contract Specifications Options on the MIBOR '90 Plus Futures 
    Contact
    
    Underlying Asset
    
        MIBOR '90 Plus futures contract. The underlying asset of the 90-day 
    interbank deposit future is the interest paid on an interbank deposit, 
    theoretically placed on the contract's maturity day, for a period of 
    ninety days and an amount of one hundred million pesetas.
    
    Contract Size
    
        1 futures contract.
    
    Exercise Style
    
        American.
    
    Traded Options
    
        Options on futures with trading available at least in March, June, 
    September and December in addition to the same quarters of the 
    following year.
    
    Available Classes
    
        At least one options class for each of the underlying asset's two 
    nearby expirations shall be available for trading.
    
    Available Series
    
        On the first trading day of an expiration at least five series of 
    calls and five series of puts shall be introduced for the same 
    underlying asset with the same expiration month, but with different 
    strike prices.
        For one of the call or put series, the strike price will be equal 
    to the daily settlement price of the underlying asset the day prior to 
    the option's first trading day, rounded off to the nearest strike price 
    interval.
        For the other series, the strike price shall be set so that there 
    are at least two options series with strikes above and at least two 
    series with strikes below the first strike price.
    
    Trading Hours
    
        8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
    
    Last Trading Day
    
        The last business day prior to the expiration date.
    
    Expiration Date
    
        Third Wednesday of the underlying futures contract month; if the 
    expiration date coincides with a holiday, the expiration date shall be 
    the following business day.
    
    Quotation Method
    
        Quoted in points, with one point equals two hundred and fifty 
    pesetas.
    
    Tick Value
    
        The minimum fluctuation of the premium shall be 1 point.
    
    Margining
    
        Margin is calculated taking into account the overall futures and 
    options portfolio.
    
    List of Subjects in 17 CFR Part 30
    
        Commodity futures, Commodity options, Foreign transactions.
        Accordingly, 17 CFR Part 30 is amended as set forth below:
    
    PART 30--FOREIGN FUTURES AND FOREIGN OPTION TRANSACTIONS
    
        1. The authority citation for Part 30 continues to read as follows:
    
        Authority: Secs. 2(a)(1)(A), 4, 4c, and 8a of the Commodity 
    Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 2, 6, 6c and 12a.
    
        2. Appendix B to Part 30 is amended by adding the following entry 
    in alphabetical order to read as follows:
    
    APPENDIX B--Option Contracts Permitted To Be Offered or Sold in the 
    U.S. Pursuant to Sec. 30.3(a)
    
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                                                             FR date and    
             Exchange              Type of contract            citation     
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    *                  *                  *                  *              
                      *                  *                  *               
    MEFF Sociedad Rectora de   Option Contracts on the   August 14, 1995; 60
     Productos Financieros      MIBOR '90 Plus Futures    FR 41803          
     Derivados de Renta Fija,   Contract.                                   
     S.A.                                                                   
                                                                            
    *                  *                  *                  *              
                      *                  *                  *               
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    [[Page 41804]]
    
        Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 8, 1995.
    Jean A. Webb,
    Secretary to the Commission.
    [FR Doc. 95-19982 Filed 8-11-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6351-01-P
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
8/14/1995
Published:
08/14/1995
Department:
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Final rule.
Document Number:
95-19982
Dates:
August 14, 1995.
Pages:
41802-41804 (3 pages)
PDF File:
95-19982.pdf
CFR: (1)
17 CFR 30