CFTC’s Office of Chief Economist to Host Conference on Commodity Markets

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Office of Chief Economist will host a high-level research conference on August 25-26, 2011, to discuss key issues affecting commodity markets. CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler will give opening remarks at 9 a.m. on August 25, 2011.

The first day of the conference will feature presentations of academic papers grouped into three distinct subject areas: commodity index trading, market sentiment, and hedging and arbitrage.

The second day will consist of two academic panels. The first panel, organized jointly with the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy, will focus on issues related to the energy markets. The second panel, organized jointly with the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will address issues associated with the agricultural markets.

Howard Gruenspecht, Acting Administrator of the EIA, will give opening remarks at the beginning of the first panel. Laurian Unnevehr, Acting Administrator of the ERS, will give opening remarks at the beginning of the second panel.

Andrei Kirilenko, the chief economist of the CFTC, will offer both welcoming and concluding remarks.

The Conference will be held in the Conference Center at the CFTC’s Headquarters, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC. The conference will be open to the public with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Members of the public also may listen by telephone and should be prepared to provide their first name, last name and affiliation.

The Meeting will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.