The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has extended by 30 days, to August 26, 2026, the public comment period on its request for comment on two related energy derivatives issues: whether standard futures contracts, including energy futures, should trade on a 24/7 basis without changing their fixed expiration, delivery or settlement terms, and whether perpetual contracts referencing physically delivered or storable energy commodities should be listed. The extension follows requests from commenters and accompanies additional questions aimed at broadening the Commission’s review. The inquiry remains centered on how these structures could affect reference price reliability and manipulation resistance, market surveillance, operational readiness, speculative position limits, margin, clearing and settlement, customer protection, and underlying physical markets. The new questions ask whether smaller-scale 24/7 contracts tied to crude oil could create incentives to build positions before benchmark markets close for the weekend and then trade over the weekend to influence price formation when those markets reopen, including the potential for negative crude prices. The Commission also seeks comment on the self-certified 24/7 oil contract filed by CME’s NYMEX on July 8, 2026 and stayed by the Commission on July 9, 2026, with a focus on whether continuous trading in a standard physically delivered crude oil futures contract is consistent with designated contract market core principles. In addition, it asks industry participants to outline the concrete systems, staffing and process changes, and the likely sequencing and timing, needed to support compliant 24/7 crude oil futures trading if the market is not yet operationally ready. Comments are now due by August 26, 2026. The Commission specifically encourages responses supported by data, empirical analysis and transaction or market-level evidence.

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