Linked below is an article written by Energy Metro Desk editor-in-chief John Sodergreen entitled, "Around the Desk," which focuses on recent regulatory topics, such as the CFTC position limits proposal and the ICE's 64 new energy contracts. Additionally, the article discusses the oil market price manipulation suit brought by NYMEX floor traders against oil merchants, Commissioner Bart Chilton's departure from the CFTC, a new Office of Management and Budget report on the relative damage caused by the federal shutdown, and who might be tagged as the new Chairperson of the CFTC. Click here to

The SEC Division of Investment Management issued a no-action letter to Main Street Capital Corporation ("Parent Company"), a business development company, in response to its request, pursuant to Investment Company Act Section 12(d)(3) ("Functions and Activities of Investment Companies"), to allow its wholly-owned subsidiary to register as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The subsidiary would, among other things, provide investment advisory services to the Parent Company. See: SEC No-Action Letter; Main Street Capital Request for No-Action.

The SEC announced the appointment of LeeAnn Ghazil Gaunt as chief of the Enforcement Division's Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit. Ms. Gaunt has worked in the specialized unit since its inception in 2010, and supervised the agency's first pay-to-play enforcement action for "in-kind" political campaign contributions in September 2012. Ms. Gaunt previously worked in the SEC's Boston Regional Office for 13 years, and was in private practice in Boston prior to joining the SEC. See: SEC Press Release.

The SEC Division of Investment Management published guidance regarding whether management investment companies (funds) registered under the Investment Company Act that make distributions to their shareholders – where the distribution is derived from any source other than the fund's net income – may electronically deliver the required "written statement" describing the sources of those distributions. According to the guidance, the SEC staff determined that electronic delivery of a Rule 19a-1 Notice ("Written Statement to Accompany Dividend Payments by Management Companies") satisfies the

ISDA announced the publication of the ISDA 2013 ICE Brent Protocol (the "Protocol"). The Protocol offers market participants an efficient way to amend the terms of certain derivatives transactions to address the impact of the decisions by ICE Futures Europe ("ICE") to (i) change expiry dates for ICE Brent futures and options contracts to a month-ahead expiry calendar with respect to March 2016 and later contract months and (ii) require a cash adjustment as a result of such change (the "ICE Brent Transition"). The ICE Brent Transition will impact certain derivatives transactions that reference