CFTC Nominee Emphasizes Regulatory Authority Over Prediction Markets
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
0mins
Should l Buy ICE?
Source: CNBC
- Regulatory Authority Assertion: CFTC's new chairman, Michael Selig, emphasized during his Senate confirmation hearing that the CFTC possesses the authority to regulate prediction markets, opposing state-level restrictions and indicating a proactive stance in maintaining federal oversight.
- Legal Challenge Response: Selig noted that the CFTC would intervene in nearly 50 active legal cases against prediction markets to prevent excessive state interference, ensuring the legality and vibrancy of these markets.
- Market Function Defense: In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, he argued that event contracts serve legitimate economic functions and should be classified as 'swaps' rather than gambling, aiming to enhance market transparency and compliance.
- Court Support Action: The CFTC plans to file an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Crypto.com in its dispute with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, demonstrating the CFTC's firm commitment to maintaining market integrity.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy ICE?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on ICE
Wall Street analysts forecast ICE stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
9 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 152.280
Low
174.00
Averages
191.60
High
223.00
Current: 152.280
Low
174.00
Averages
191.60
High
223.00
About ICE
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. provides financial technology and data services across major asset classes, helping its customers access workflow tools that increase transparency and efficiency. Its Exchanges segment operates regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of an array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to its exchanges and clearing houses. Its Fixed Income and Data Services segment provides fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global credit default swaps (CDS), clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology. Its Mortgage Technology segment provides a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the United States residential mortgage market life cycle, from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Regulatory Authority Assertion: CFTC's new chairman, Michael Selig, emphasized during his Senate confirmation hearing that the CFTC possesses the authority to regulate prediction markets, opposing state-level restrictions and indicating a proactive stance in maintaining federal oversight.
- Legal Challenge Response: Selig noted that the CFTC would intervene in nearly 50 active legal cases against prediction markets to prevent excessive state interference, ensuring the legality and vibrancy of these markets.
- Market Function Defense: In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, he argued that event contracts serve legitimate economic functions and should be classified as 'swaps' rather than gambling, aiming to enhance market transparency and compliance.
- Court Support Action: The CFTC plans to file an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Crypto.com in its dispute with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, demonstrating the CFTC's firm commitment to maintaining market integrity.
See More
Integration Announcement: Kraken has announced its integration with Ice Chat, enhancing its communication capabilities.
Expansion Plans: The integration is part of Kraken's strategy to expand its institutional offerings and improve access to its services.
See More
- Finance and Tech Summit: On Wednesday, prominent business leaders and government officials will convene at Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago, to discuss the future of finance and technology, with notable attendees including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, highlighting the financial sector's keen interest in policy developments.
- Conflict of Interest Debate: Legal and government ethics experts are divided on whether the event poses a serious conflict of interest, with former government ethics attorney Chris Swartz expressing concerns about the Trump family's use of public office for private gain, potentially undermining public trust in governance.
- Crypto Earnings: During Trump's first year back in office, the family has reportedly made over $1 billion from crypto projects, primarily from their stablecoin USD1, illustrating the significant potential of the crypto market and the intertwining of the Trump family's business interests with evolving regulations.
- Importance of Cross-Sector Dialogue: A spokesman for World Liberty stated that it is not unprecedented for leaders in finance, technology, and government to convene to discuss the future of critical markets, emphasizing the necessity of such cross-sector dialogue despite the surrounding controversy regarding its implications.
See More

- Interest Rate Derivatives Performance: Intercontinental Exchange's interest rate derivatives market achieved a record open interest of 42.3 million contracts on February 11, reflecting a robust year-over-year increase of 45%, which underscores the strong demand and solidifies its leadership in the financial derivatives sector.
- Futures and Options Market Milestone: The total open interest across the futures and options markets reached a historic high of 116.5 million contracts, indicating a rising interest among investors in diversified trading strategies, which could drive future trading activity and revenue growth.
- UK Gilt Market Growth: Open interest in Gilts, the benchmark for the U.K. government bond yield curve, increased by 21% to 1.2 million contracts, suggesting enhanced investor confidence in U.K. government bonds, which may influence future interest rate policies and market liquidity.
- Stock Price Fluctuation: Shares of Intercontinental Exchange fell 0.55% in pre-market trading to $149.00, indicating that despite strong market performance, short-term stock price volatility could affect investor sentiment and market expectations.
See More
- Record Open Interest: On February 11, 2026, ICE's interest rate derivatives market achieved a record open interest of 42.3 million contracts, representing a 45% year-over-year increase, indicating strong demand for its products and reinforcing ICE's leadership in global financial markets.
- SONIA Futures Performance: The open interest for ICE's SONIA futures and options reached 15.4 million contracts on the same day, with options alone hitting 11.7 million contracts, reflecting a 63% and 70% increase respectively, showcasing a significant rise in demand for managing U.K. interest rate risk.
- Increased Use of MPC Dated SONIA Futures: On January 29, 2026, open interest in MPC Dated SONIA futures surpassed 51,000 contracts for the first time, indicating that market participants are increasingly looking to trade more precisely around central bank meeting dates, leveraging margin offsets available through ICE SONIA.
- Diverse Market Advantage: As the only global exchange offering a multi-currency rates portfolio, ICE enables customers to benefit from deep liquidity, particularly in responding to shifts in monetary policy and cross-market signals, thereby enhancing its competitive edge in the financial derivatives market.
See More
- Upgrade Plan Exploration: CME Group is exploring upgrade plans aimed at enhancing its service and product quality to adapt to changing market demands, although specific details have yet to be disclosed.
- Market Adaptability: This move reflects CME Group's keen insight into market dynamics, which could strengthen its competitiveness in the financial markets, especially in an ever-evolving trading environment.
- Customer Demand Response: Through the upgrade plan, CME Group aims to better meet customer needs and enhance customer satisfaction, potentially fostering long-term loyalty among clients.
- Future Development Potential: While no specific implementation timeline is available, the exploration of this plan indicates CME Group's ongoing pursuit of innovation and improvement to maintain its market leadership position.
See More







