Silver and Natural Gas Scrutinized by CFTC After Price Spikes

U.S. regulators are closely monitoring derivatives markets after silver surged and the crippling Texas storms prompted a spike in spot prices for natural gas, the acting chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said.

The CFTC is keeping a particularly close eye on social media after bullish commentary on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum helped drive silver futures to an almost eight-year high last month, Rostin Behnam told the CFTC’s Market Risk Advisory Committee Tuesday.

The regulator is also monitoring the Texas energy markets for any irregularities in the swaps and futures markets following the “tragic loss of life” caused by last ...