NCDEX settles claims of castor seed investors hit by trade ban

After more than four months of ban on castor seed futures, commodity bourse National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) today said it has completed the settlement of the castor claims admissible as per the close-out declared on May 9.
In a circular issued in May, NCDEX said it will pay Rs 120 per quintal to sellers who had net short (sell) positions in the castor seed contracts on the exchange platform and correspondingly held valid deliverable stocks in the exchange-approved warehouses as on January 27.
The exchange has not revealed the compensation amount paid.
NCDEX had suspended trading in castor seed contracts on January 27, 2016, pursuant to which SEBI also launched its probe and barred 16 brokers and traders from the securities market for manipulation in castor seed trading at NCDEX.

The Exchange had suspended the running castor seed contracts on January this year to maintain market equilibrium, safeguard market integrity and in the general interest of commodities market.
The Exchange had set up an Investor Services Cell for redressing grievances of market participants arising out of the suspension of castor seed contracts, NCDEX said in a statement here.
The Exchange had announced a close-out on 9 May 2016, to redress the grievances of participants affected by the suspension of the castor seed contracts.
"There were certain investors whose grievances needed to be addressed. We took several steps in that direction. The close out price settlement has received extremely positive feedback. We are confident that the actions taken by the Exchange and the regulator, in connection with the suspension of castor seed contract has restored the confidence of market participants," NCDEX MD & CEO Samir Shah said.