U.S. Regulators Probe Oil Market Data Manipulation, WSJ Says

By Chris Peterson

Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. regulators are investigating various players in the energy markets over false data and price manipulation, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the probe.

Officials from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are examining the records of unidentified energy market players to see if they have been providing false data which could benefit their own trading positions, the Journal said. Unforeseen falls in oil inventories, reported each Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Administration, can trigger price surges on the main futures benchmark traded on the New York Mercantilke Exchange, the WSJ reported.

The CFTC, acting on tips from traders, has started collecting evidence from those involved on data provided at the time of such price spikes, the Journal said, citing lawyers close to the matter.

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