CFTC Open House In KC Scratched; CME To Close Trading Floor Friday

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s ag conference in the Kansas City metro will be postponed, and an open meeting scheduled for the area will now take place in Washington. CFTC announced Wednesday that the Agriculture Commodity Futures Conference, set for April first and second in Overland Park, will be moved to a later date. Lab office hours in New York will also be postponed. The open meeting that was set to take place March 31st at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City will now occur at the CFTC Headquarters in Washington. CFTC’s announcement comes as the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Coronavirus fears have prompted the CME Group to announce that its trading floor in Chicago will close after the bell Friday afternoon. The operators of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade say it is a precaution to reduce large gatherings that can contribute to the spread of Covid-19. All products will continue to trade on CME’s electronic exchanges. The trading floor will reopen once further medical guidance becomes available. The company’s headquarters in Chicago will remain open.