CME Group has fined Cargill’s Mexican unit for engaging in banned self-dealing in agricultural products and temporarily barred two of its traders from its markets.
Cargill Mexico was ordered to pay $60,000 for improperly acting as buyer and seller in the same transactions, a practice known as wash trading.
According to reports, on six days between June 2013 and January 2014, Cargill Mexico employees placed opposing buy and sell orders to transfer positions from one company account to another. Three of the transactions affected open interest in the hard red winter wheat futures market.
Cargill did not admit to or deny the allegations, according to the CME.
Two traders, Jesus Avila and Jose Gamboa, each were fines $10,000 for engaging in wash trades and banned from trading at CME for five business days, beginning on February 27.
On four days between June 2013 and September 2013, Gamboa executed electronic transactions in agricultural products with the same “beneficial ownership” on both sides of the transactions, CME said. Avila did the same on two days from July 2013 to August 2013.
Neither trader admitted to or denied to the violations, according to CME notices.