1.35—Records of cash commodity, futures, and option transactions.

(a) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and members of contract markets. Each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, and member of a contract market shall keep full, complete, and systematic records, together with all pertinent data and memoranda, of all transactions relating to its business of dealing in commodity futures, retail forex transactions, commodity options, and cash commodities (including currencies). Each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, and member of a contract market shall retain the required records, data, and memoranda in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31, and produce them for inspection and furnish true and correct information and reports as to the contents or the meaning thereof, when and as requested by an authorized representative of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice. Included among such records shall be all orders (filled, unfilled, or canceled), trading cards, signature cards, street books, journals, ledgers, canceled checks, copies of confirmations, copies of statements of purchase and sale, and all other records, data and memoranda, which have been prepared in the course of its business of dealing in commodity futures, retail forex transactions, commodity options, and cash commodities. Among such records each member of a contract market must retain and produce for inspection are all documents on which trade information is originally recorded, whether or not such documents must be prepared pursuant to the rules or regulations of either the Commission or the contract market. For purposes of this section, such documents are referred to as “original source documents.”
(a-1) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and members of contract markets: Recording of customers' and option customers' orders. (1) Each futures commission merchant, each retail foreign exchange dealer and each introducing broker receiving a customer's, retail forex customer's or option customer's order, as applicable, shall immediately upon receipt thereof prepare a written record of the order including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (a-1)(5) of this section, and order number, and shall record thereon, by timestamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received, and in addition, for option customers' orders, the time, to the nearest minute, the order is transmitted for execution.
(2) (i) Each member of a contract market who on the floor of such contract market receives a customer's or option customer's order which is not in the form of a written record including the account identification, order number, and the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order was transmitted or received on the floor of such contract market, shall immediately upon receipt thereof prepare a written record of the order in nonerasable ink, including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (a-1)(5) of this section or appendix C to this part, and order number and shall record thereon, by timestamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received.
(ii) Except as provided in paragraph (a-1)(3) of this section:
(A) Each contract market member who on the floor of such contract market receives an order from another member present on the floor which is not in the form of a written record shall, immediately upon receipt of such order, prepare a written record of the order or obtain from the member who placed the order a written record of the order, in non-erasable ink including the account identification and order number and shall record thereon, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received; or
(B) When a contract market member present on the floor places an order, which is not in the form of a written record, for his own account or an account over which he has control, with another member of such contract market for execution:
(1) The member placing such order immediately upon placement of the order shall record the order and time of placement to the nearest minute on a sequentially-numbered trading card maintained in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section;
(2) The member receiving and executing such order immediately upon execution of the order shall record the time of execution to the nearest minute on a trading card or other record maintained pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section; and
(3) The member receiving and executing the order shall return such trading card or other record to the member placing the order. The member placing the order then must submit together both of the trading cards or other records documenting such trade to contract market personnel or the clearing member, in accordance with contract market rules adopted pursuant to paragraph (j)(1) of this section.
(iii) Each contract market may adopt rules, which must be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and Commission Regulation 1.41, that provide alternative requirements to those contained in paragraph (a-1)(2)(ii) of this section. Such rules shall, at a minimum, require that the contemporaneous written records:
(A) Contain the terms of the order;
(B) Include reliable timing data for the initiation and execution of the order which would permit complete and effective reconstruction of the order placement and execution; and
(C) Be submitted to contract market personnel or clearing members in accordance with contract market rules adopted pursuant to paragraph (j)(1) of this section.
(3) (i) The requirements of paragraph (a-1)(2)(ii) of this section will not apply if a contract market maintains in effect rules which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and Commission Regulation 1.41, which provide for an exemption where:
(A) A contract market member places with another member of such contract market an order that is part of a spread transaction;
(B) The member placing the order personally executes one or more legs of the spread; and
(C) The member receiving and executing such order immediately upon execution of the order records the time of execution to the nearest minute on his trading card or other record maintained in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.
(ii) Each contract market shall, as part of its trade practice surveillance program, conduct surveillance for compliance with the recordkeeping and other requirements under paragraphs (a-1) (2) and (3) of this section, and for trading abuses related to the execution of orders for members present on the floor of the contract market.
(4) Each member of a contract market reporting the execution from the floor of the contract market of a customer's or option customer's order or the order of another member of the contract market received in accordance with paragraphs (a-1)(2)(i) or (a-1)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, shall record on a written record of the order, including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (a-1)(5) of this section, and order number, by timestamp or other timing device, the date and time to the nearest minute such report of execution is made. Each member of a contract market shall submit the written records of customer orders or orders from other contract market members to contract market personnel or to the clearing member responsible for the collection of orders prepared pursuant to this paragraph as required by contract market rules adopted in accordance with paragraph (j)(1) of this section. The execution price and other information reported on the order tickets must be written in nonerasable ink.
(5) Post-execution allocation of bunched orders. Specific customer account identifiers for accounts included in bunched orders need not be recorded at time of order placement or upon report of execution if the requirements of paragraphs (a-1)(5)(i)-(iv) of this section are met.
(i) Eligible account managers. The person placing and directing the allocation of an order eligible for post-execution allocation must have been granted written investment discretion with regard to participating customer accounts. The following persons shall qualify as eligible account managers:
(A) A commodity trading advisor registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act or excluded or exempt from registration under the Act or the Commission's rules, except for entities exempt under § 4.14(a)(3) or § 4.14(a)(6) of this chapter ;
(B) An investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or with a state pursuant to applicable state law or excluded or exempt from registration under such Act or applicable state law or rule;
(C) A bank, insurance company, trust company, or savings and loan association subject to federal or state regulation; or
(D) A foreign adviser that exercises discretionary trading authority solely over the accounts of non-U.S. persons, as defined in § 4.7(a)(1)(iv) of this chapter.
(ii) Information. Eligible account managers shall make the following information available to customers upon request:
(A) The general nature of the allocation methodology the account manager will use;
(B) Whether accounts in which the account manager may have any interest may be included with customer accounts in bunched orders eligible for post-execution allocation; and
(C) Summary or composite data sufficient for that customer to compare its results with those of other comparable customers and, if applicable, any account in which the account manager has an interest.
(iii) Allocation. Orders eligible for post-execution allocation must be allocated by an eligible account manager in accordance with the following:
(A) Allocations must be made as soon as practicable after the entire transaction is executed, but in any event account managers must provide allocation information to futures commission merchants no later than a time sufficiently before the end of the day the order is executed to ensure that clearing records identify the ultimate customer for each trade.
(B) Allocations must be fair and equitable. No account or group of accounts may receive consistently favorable or unfavorable treatment.
(C) The allocation methodology must be sufficiently objective and specific to permit independent verification of the fairness of the allocations using that methodology by appropriate regulatory and self-regulatory authorities and by outside auditors.
(iv) Records. (A) Eligible account managers shall keep and must make available upon request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or other appropriate regulatory agency, the information specified in paragraph (a-1)(5)(ii) of this section.
(B) Eligible account managers shall keep and must make available upon request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or other appropriate regulatory agency, records sufficient to demonstrate that all allocations meet the standards of paragraph (a-1)(5)(iii) of this section and to permit the reconstruction of the handling of the order from the time of placement by the account manager to the allocation to individual accounts.
(C) Futures commission merchants that execute orders or that carry accounts eligible for post-execution allocation, and members of contract markets that execute such orders, must maintain records that, as applicable, identify each order subject to post-execution allocation and the accounts to which contracts executed for such order are allocated.
(D) In addition to any other remedies that may be available under the Act or otherwise, if the Commission has reason to believe that an account manager has failed to provide information requested pursuant to paragraph (a- 1)(5)(iv)(A) or (a-1)(5)(iv)(B) of this section, the Commission may inform in writing any designated contract market or derivatives transaction execution facility and that designated contract market or derivatives transaction execution facility shall prohibit the account manager from submitting orders for execution except for liquidation of open positions and no futures commission merchants shall accept orders for execution on any designated contract market or derivatives transaction execution facility from the account manager except for liquidation of open positions.
(E) Any account manager that believes he or she is or may be adversely affected or aggrieved by action taken by the Commission under paragraph (a-1)(5)(iv)(D) of this section shall have the opportunity for a prompt hearing in accordance with the provisions of § 21.03(g) of this chapter.
(a-2)(1) Futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and members of contract markets. Upon request of the contract market, the Commission, or the United States Department of Justice, each futures commission merchant, introducing broker, and member of a contract market shall request from its customers and, upon receipt thereof, provide to the requesting body documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures for cash commodities or exchanges of futures in connection with cash commodity transactions.
(2) Customers. Each customer of a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, or member of a contract market shall create, retain, and produce upon request of the contract market, the Commission, or the United States Department of Justice documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures for cash commodities or exchanges of futures in connection with cash commodity transactions.
(3) Contract markets. Every contract market shall adopt rules which require its members to provide documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures for cash commodities or exchanges of futures in connection with cash commodity transactions upon request of the contract market.
(4) Documentation. For the purposes of this paragraph, documentation means those documents customarily generated in accordance with cash market practices which demonstrate the existence and nature of the underlying cash transactions, including, but not limited to, contracts, confirmation statements, telex printouts, invoices, and warehouse receipts or other documents of title.
(b) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and clearing members of contract markets. Each futures commission merchant, each retail foreign exchange dealer, and each clearing member of a contract market and, for purposes of paragraph (b)(3) of this section, each introducing broker, shall, as a minimum requirement, prepare regularly and promptly, and keep systematically and in permanent form, the following:
(1) A financial ledger record which will show separately for each customer or retail forex customer or option customer all charges against and credits to such customer's or retail forex customer's or option customer's account, including but not limited to customer or retail forex customer funds deposited, withdrawn, or transferred, and charges or credits resulting from losses or gains on closed transactions;
(2) A record of transactions which will show separately for each account (including proprietary accounts):
(i) All commodity futures transactions executed for such account, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity and future;
(ii) All retail forex transactions executed for such account, including the date, price, quantity, and currency; and
(iii) All commodity option transactions executed for such account, including the date, whether the transaction involved a put or call, expiration date, quantity, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying physical, strike price, and details of the purchase price of the option, including premium, mark-up, commission and fees; and
(3) A record or journal which will separately show for each business day complete details of:
(i) All commodity futures transactions executed on that day, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity, future and the person for whom such transaction was made;
(ii) All retail forex transactions executed on that day for such account, including the date, price, quantity, currency and the person for whom such transaction was made; and
(iii) All commodity option transactions executed on that day, including the date, whether the transaction involved a put or call, the expiration date, quantity, underlying contract for future delivery, or underlying physical, strike price, details of the purchase price of the option, including premium, mark-up, commission and fees and the person for whom the transaction was made; and
(iv) In the case of an introducing broker, the record or journal required by this paragraph (b)(3) shall also include the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer carrying the account for which each commodity futures, retail forex and commodity option transaction was executed on that day. Provided, however, that where reproductions on microfilm, microfiche or optical disk are substituted for hard copy in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31(b) of this part, the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section will be considered met if the person required to keep such records is ready at all times to provide, and immediately provides in the same city as that in which such person's commodity retail forex or commodity option books and records are maintained, at the expense of such person, reproduced copies which show the records as specified in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section, on request of any representatives of the Commission or the U.S. Department of Justice.
(c) Clearing members of contract markets. In the daily record or journal required to be kept under paragraph (b)(3) of this section, each clearing member of a contract market shall also show the floor broker or floor trader executing each transaction, the opposite floor broker or floor trader, and the opposite clearing member with whom it was made.
(d) Members of contract markets. (1) Each member of a contract market who, in the place provided by the contract market for the meeting of persons similarly engaged, executes purchases or sales of any commodity for future delivery or commodity option on or subject to the rules of such contract market, shall prepare regularly and promptly a trading card or other record showing such purchases and sales. Such trading card or record shall show the member's name, the name of the clearing member, transaction date, time (as specified in rules of the contract market which comply with the requirements of this section), quantity, and, as applicable, underlying commodity, contract for future delivery or physical, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether the transaction involved a put or a call and strike price. Such trading card or other record shall also clearly identify the opposite floor broker or floor trader with whom the transaction was executed, and the opposite clearing member (if, in accordance with the rules or practice of the contract market, such opposite clearing member is made known to the member).
(2) Each member of a contract market recording purchases and sales on trading cards must record such purchases and sales in exact chronological order of execution on sequential lines of the trading card without skipping lines between trades; Provided, however; That if lines remain after the last execution recorded on a trading card, the remaining lines must be marked through.
(3) Each member of a contract market must identify on his trading cards in the manner prescribed by the rules of the contract market the purchases and sales executed during the opening and closing periods designated by the contract market pursuant to paragraph (j)(7) of this section.
(4) Trading cards prepared by a member of a contract market pursuant to contract market rules must contain:
(i) Pre-printed member identification or other unique identifying information which would permit the trading cards of one member to be distinguished from those of all other members;
(ii) Pre-printed sequence numbers to permit the intra-day sequencing of the cards; and
(iii) Unique and pre-printed identifying information which would distinguish each of the trading cards prepared by the member from other such trading cards for no less than a one-week period.
(5) Trading cards prepared by a member of a contract market and collected pursuant to paragraph (j)(1) of this section must be timestamped promptly to the nearest minute upon collection by either the contract market or the relevant clearing member.
(6) Each member of a contract market shall be accountable for all trading cards prepared pursuant to contract market rules in exact numerical sequence, whether or not such trading cards are relied on as original source documents.
(7) Trading records prepared by a member of a contract market pursuant to contract market rules must:
(i) Be submitted in accordance with contract market rules adopted pursuant to paragraph (j)(1) of this section; and
(ii) Be completed in non-erasable ink. A member may correct any errors by crossing out erroneous information without obliterating or otherwise making illegible any of the originally recorded information. With regard to trading cards only, a member may correct erroneous information by rewriting the trading card; provided, however, that the member must submit a ply of the trading card, or in the absence of plies the original trading card, that is subsequently rewritten in accordance with contract market rules which set forth the required collection schedule for trading cards and provided further that the member is accountable for any trading card that subsequently is rewritten pursuant to paragraph (d)(6) of this section.
(8) Each member of a contract market must use a new trading card at the beginning of each designated 30-minute interval required by paragraph (j)(1) of this section (or such lesser interval as may be determined appropriate by the applicable contract market) or as may be required pursuant hereto.
(e) Contract markets. Each contract market shall maintain or cause to be maintained by its clearing organization a single record which shall show for each futures or option trade: the transaction date, time (as described in paragraph (g) of this section), quantity, and, as applicable, underlying commodity, contract for future delivery or physical, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether the transaction involved a put or a call, strike price, floor broker or floor trader buying, clearing member buying, floor broker or floor trader selling, clearing member selling, and symbols indicating the buying and selling customer or option customer types. The customer and option customer type indicators shall show, with respect to each person executing the trade, whether such person:
(1) Was trading for his own account, or an account for which he has discretion;
(2) Was trading for his clearing member's house account;
(3) Was trading for another member present on the exchange floor, or an account controlled by such other member; or
(4) Was trading for any other type of customer or option customer. The record required by this paragraph (e) shall also show, by appropriate and uniform symbols, any transaction which is made non-competitively in accordance with written rules of the contract market which have been submitted to and approved by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of § 1.38, and trades cleared on dates other than the date of execution. Except as otherwise approved by the Commission for good cause shown, the record required by this paragraph (e) shall be maintained in a format and coding structure approved by the Commission (i) in hard copy or on microfilm as specified in § 1.31 and (ii) for 60 days in computer-readable form on compatible magnetic tapes or discs.
(f) Each contract market shall provide for the identification of floor brokers, floor traders, and clearing members, in the records required to be kept under paragraphs (c), (d), and (e) of this section, by the use of a distinctive, nonvariable designation for each such floor broker, floor trader, and clearing member.
(g) Time of trade execution. For purposes of paragraph (e) of this section: (1) The actual time of the execution of each side of a transaction must be obtained, or (2) if a contract market identifies and records the time of a transaction, a single actual time of execution for both sides of the transaction may be obtained. Actual times of execution shall be stated in increments of no more than one minute in length. If a contract market submits rules to the Commission, in accordance with the provisions of section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and § 1.41, defining and separately identifying opening and closing time periods, the contract market may, for purposes of paragraph (e) of this section, use those time periods for trades occurring during the opening and closing periods. Contract market rules in effect prior to the effective date of this paragraph (g) upon which a contract market intends to rely in complying herewith must be submitted for this purpose to the Commission in accordance with the provisions of section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and § 1.41.
(h) Contract market price change register. Each contract market shall establish and maintain a record of all changes in the price of futures or option transactions executed on the floor of the contract market. This record shall include the time of all changes in price to the nearest ten seconds.
(i) Contract markets. A contract market, in order to demonstrate that it is exercising due diligence in maintaining the continuing affirmative action program required by the Act and § 1.51, shall, at a minimum:
(1) Demonstrate effective use in its continuing affirmative action program of the information required to be obtained by paragraph (e) of this section to reconstruct rapidly and accurately transactions executed on or subject to the rules of such contract market; and
(2) Submit to the Commission such reports as the Commission or the Director of the Division of Trading and Markets, or such persons under the supervision of the Director as may be specified from time to time, may require concerning the accuracy of all information recorded under paragraph (e) of this section and the use of such information in the contract market's affirmative action program.
(j) Contract markets. Each contract market must maintain in effect rules which require that:
(1) Trading records prepared by a member of the contract market pursuant to paragraphs (a-1) and (d) of this section be submitted to contract market personnel or the clearing member within 15 minutes of designated intervals not to exceed 30 minutes, commencing with the beginning of each trading session. The time period permitted for the submission of trading records after the close of trading in each market shall not exceed 15 minutes from the close. Such documents should nevertheless be collected as often as is practicable by the contract market or relevant clearing member. Such contract market rules need not, however, require that those original source documents which cannot be relied upon by the contract market or clearing member for clearing purposes be submitted pursuant to this paragraph. Each contract market shall submit a written report to the Commission no later than nine months after the effective date of this paragraph describing with particularity the contract market's system(s) in place to comply with this paragraph and the level of compliance achieved to date.
(2) Trading cards collected pursuant to this paragraph must be timestamped promptly to the nearest minute upon collection by either the contract market or relevant clearing member.
(3) A member of the contract market must use a new trading card at the beginning of each designated 30-minute interval required by paragraph (j)(1) of this section.
(4) A member of the contract market must record trades in the manner prescribed by paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
(5) Trading cards prepared by a member of the contract market must contain the identifying information prescribed by paragraph (d)(4) of this section.
(6) A member of the contract market must be accountable for all trading cards prepared pursuant to contract market rules in exact numerical sequence, whether or not such trading cards are relied on as original source documents.
(7) A member of the contract market must identify on his trading cards trades executed during opening and closing periods either by drawing a line on the trading card to separate those trades from others recorded thereon or by some other method. Each contract market must designate as opening and closing periods for this purpose those periods upon which the opening and closing trading ranges are based for each of its markets.
(8) A member of the contract market must complete trades in non-erasable ink in the manner prescribed by paragraph (d)(7)(ii) of this section.
(k) Collection of trading cards in intervals not to exceed 15 minutes. The Commission, in its discretion, may publish a schedule in the Federal Register no earlier than 11 months after paragraph (j)(1) of this section becomes effective, indicating when the records required to be submitted pursuant to that paragraph must be submitted to contract market personnel or the clearing member within 15 minutes of designated intervals not to exceed 15 minutes, commencing with the beginning of each trading session.
(l) A contract market which can demonstrate that it currently has available hand-held terminals or such other automated means for the recordation of trades which can eliminate the opportunity for improper alteration or fabrication of trading records, may petition the Commission for an exemption from Regulations 1.35(a-1) (2) and (4), (d), (j) or (k), as appropriate.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 3038-0007 and 3038-0022)

Code of Federal Regulations

[41 FR 3194, Jan. 21, 1976]

Code of Federal Regulations

Editorial Note: For Federal Register citations affecting § 1.35 , see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.fdsys.gov.