John J. Lothian

John J. Lothian is the founder of the John Lothian Newsletter and publisher of John Lothian News, which includes MarketsWiki and MarketsWiki Education. He was an early adopter of electronic trading who pioneered blogging in the futures industry, where his newsletter has become a must-read among financial markets industry executives and professionals globally. 
Lothian is the executive chairman and CEO of John J. Lothian & Company, Inc, which owns and operates John Lothian News. 
He is a former commodity trading advisor (CTA) and industry consultant. 
He is the former principal of Commodity Trading Advisor firms John J. Lothian Managed Futures, LLC and John J. Lothian & Company, Inc. 
Lothian was a member of the U.S. CFTC Technology Advisory Committee from 2012 to 2023.
He was a futures broker for many years, including with The Price Futures Group, Inc. from 1997 to 2012. At The Price Group, Lothian was head of its Electronic Trading Division.
Lothian is a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America and had served in several unit, district and council level positions, including Venturing Crew Advisor, Scoutmaster of an all-girl troop of Scouts BSA, Troop Chaplain, Assistant District Commissioner and Merit Badge Counselor.
In 2024, Lothian was inducted into the Futures Industry Association's Futures Hall of Fame, which was established in 2005 to commemorate outstanding contributions to the global futures and options community. 
== History ==
Lothian started his futures career as a 17-year old driver working for CBOT member and soybean broker Thomas J. Cashman. He worked in this capacity through his college years during the summers, while also working during the summer of 1981 as a floor messenger or runner on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade for Shearson American Express.
His first post-graduation full-time position was as a news reporter for Knight-Ridder's Commodity News Service, a news wire service covering the futures and cash commodity and financial markets. He left Knight-Ridder in April of 1985 following the low price volatility for agricultural and metals commodities and brokerage firm cut backs that caused contraction in the brokerage space.
In July of 1985 he joined the year old discount commodity brokerage First American Discount Corporation, founded by former CBOT Chairman William J. Mallers, Sr., in a news and operations role. He later advanced to head a trading desk and participated in a trader training program led by Mallers. 
Lothian left FADC the year after the stock market crash of 1987 to join a proprietary trading group backed by LIT America. Shortly after joining the group called Meltdown Trading, which was founded in October of 1987, an FBI investigation of the Chicago futures markets was announced. Lothian left Meltdown Trading in May of 1989. 
In July of 1989 Lothian started traded futures for his own account on the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange and became a member of the exchange in September of 1989. He was a member until June of 1990 when he joined Gerald Commodities as an account executive.
He left Gerald before the company sold its Chicago-based FCM business to one of its customers, forming Rand Financial. In the fall of 1992, Lothian joined the late John H. (Bud) Frazier, a former Gerald executive, at the newly established introducing broker and CBOT member firm, US Futures & Options Company, Inc. After Frazier passed away in the summer of 1993, Lothian and a couple of longtime employees of Frazier established an Introducing Broker firm, The Frazier Associates.
In November of 1997, Lothian left The Frazier Associates and joined The Price Futures Group, Inc., one of the industry’s leading introducing brokers, as the president of the newly formed Electronic Trading Division. He switched to a branch manager for the company in December 2010. In June of 2011, Lothian resigned from The Price Group to concentrate on his media business.
On April 6 of 2011, Lothian rang the closing bell at NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, home of the world's oldest stock exchange.
Lothian appeared in the book "Zero Sum Game" by Erika S. Olson, a former CBOT employee. His comments in the John Lothian Newsletter are used by Olson to help tell the story of the merger between the CBOT and CME and the attempt by ICE to break up the merger.
He was a trustee of the Institute for Financial Markets, the Washington, DC based not-for-profit educational arm of the Futures Industry Association.from March of 2013 to March of 2015.
In 2013, Lothian created the MarketsWiki Education World of Opportunity series aimed at educating and inspiring the next generation of industry participants and professionals about the markets. 
In December of 2016, Lothian named Jim Kharouf as CEO of John J. Lothian & Company, Inc. and moved to the position of executive chairman. However, in December of 2017, Lothian replaced Kharouf as CEO after Kharouf resigned.
After MarketsWiki passed the 100 million page view mark in May of 2017, Lothian was interviewed by Advantage Futures for their Inside Advantage newsletter about the site and his history.
In March of 2017, Lothian announced a new micro-wiki site under development, CryptoMarketsWiki.com.
== Newsletter Publishing ==
Lothian is editor and publisher of the John Lothian Newsletter, the flagship newsletter from John Lothian News (JLN), providing daily news and commentary about the global exchange traded derivatives, securities and related OTC markets. He is also publisher of JLN Options. Additionally, he was publisher of JLN Environmental/Energy formerly Environmental Markets Newsletter, JLN Financials and JLN Managed Futures.
== Webcasts ==
*RTS "Market Trends" Panel, FIA Chicago, November 2008
*Financial Times Trading Room: John Lothian on the trading power of the tweet 
==Videos==
===Hall of Fame Video===
===CFTC Testimony===
===FIA Boca Interview===
==Podcasts==
===Inside the ICE House===
== Trading ==
Lothian was the sole principal of John Lothian Managed Futures LLC, a commodity trading advisor formerly registered with the National Futures Association starting in July of 2011. He withdrew his registration in 2023. 
Previously, Lothian operated John J. Lothian & Company, Inc. as a Commodity Trading Advisor as well as a media firm. JJLCO had two managed futures programs; Big ED and Maple Sugar. The trading methology behind the managed programs was created by MarketsWiki Development Team member Jon Matte, formerly of Defender Capital Management, Inc. JJLCO purchased the trading programs and intellectual property rights behind them from Defender.
Lothian was a member of the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange in 1989-90 and prior to that a member of a proprietary trading group at LIT America.
== Testimony in Front of the CFTC ==
Lothian was chosen to speak at the CFTC's second hearing to discuss energy position limits and hedge exemptions on July 29, 2009.
*John Lothian July 2009 Testimony Before CFTC Regarding Open Hearings To Discuss Energy Position Limits And Hedge Exemptions
He also testified at the March 25, 2010 CFTC public meeting to examine futures and options trading in the metals markets.
He participated in a round-table discussion regarding the three statutory disruptive practices set forth in new section 4c(a)(5) of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) pursuant to section 747 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”).
On February 29 and March 1, 2012, Lothian participated in a CFTC roundtable in Washington, DC, discussing additional customer collateral protections. 
== Education == 
He is a 1983 graduate of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in General Management/Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications/Journalism.
== Personal ==
Lothian lives in Elmhurst, IL with his wife Cheryl. They have three children, Timothy, Katherine and Robert. 
He served as the district chairman of Potawatomi Trails District of Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America from 2006 to 2009. He served as a Boy Scout Scoutmaster of Troop 117 in Elmhurst from 2009 to 2016 and was a Venturing Crew Advisor from 2015 to 2019 and Scoutmaster of an all-girl troop in Scouts BSA from February to October of 2019.
He is also a Merit Badge counselor. He also served as an Assistant District Commissioner for Communications for the Potawatomi Trails District of Three Fires Council for the Boy Scouts. He also served as the nominating chair and a Member at Large of the Executive Committee for the Pathway to Adventure Council for the Boy Scouts.
In 2016 and 2017, Lothian served as the co-chair of the LaSalle Trading Tech Awards program. Lothian is the creator of the Trading Tech merit badge workshop program for Pathway to Adventures Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
In 2018, Lothian was awarded the Silver Beaver Award by the Pathway to Adventure Council of the Boy Scouts.
At the 2007 Futures Industry Association EXPO in Chicago, Lothian was the target of 18 pies thrown at him for a fundraiser for Boy Scouts.
==Pictures==
File:John&LeoatEXPO.png|John Lothian and Leo Melamed at FIA EXPO 2022
File:John&MorganCzarneckiEagleCeremony.jpg|John Lothian and Morgan Czarnecki, presenting John with a mentor pin at her Eagle Court of Honor
File:John&PatKennyKiltChallenge.jpg|John Lothian and Pat Kenny at FIA IDX Gala while Pat was fulfilling the Kilt Challenge in 2022
File:May `2011 155.JPG|John Lothian Rings Euronext Amsterdam Closing Bell, Euronext Amsterdam
File:IMG 0358.JPG|John Lothian at Eurex's former headquarters, Frankfurt, Germany
File:May `2011 211.JPG|John Moderates FOW Options Conference in Amsterdam, FOW Options Conference
File:John&CheryLothianinBurgenstockin12004.JPG|John with Cheryl Lothian at Bürgenstock 2004|Bürgenstock, Switzerland
File:John&PatKennyinBurgenstock.jpg|John with Pat Kenny at SFOA Bürgenstock, Bürgenstock, Switzerland
File:LothianKharouf.jpg|John in white dinner jacked with Jim Kharouf at SFOA Bürgenstock, Bürgenstock, Switzerland
File:JohninKiltforKiltChallenge.jpg|John in a Kilt for the Futures for Kids gala in London, IDX 2011
File:John&JimKhahoufonwaytoFFKGala-Kilt.jpg|John with Jim Kharouf headed to the IDX FFK Gala in 2011, London, UK
File:JohnandChrisHehmeyerbeforePieThrowingatEXPO.jpg|John with Chris Hehmeyer at FIA EXPO 2008 before pie throwing event, Chicago, IL
File:JohnTimPie.jpg|Cubmasters gets pies thrown at them for Cub Scout popcorn sales, Cub Scout Pack 23, Elmhurst, IL
File:JohnBeforePies.jpg|John is a good sport, 2007 Futures Industry Association EXPO, Chicago, IL
File:IMG 9345.JPG|Scoutmaster John Lothian and the late Bill Griswold at Camp Freeland Leslie, Oxford, WI
File:John&GeorgeGeroinBoca.JPG|John with George Gero at FIA Boca, Boca Raton, FL
File:JohnRegina.JPG|John Lothian and Regina Thoele of The Financial Futures Association of Japan for FIA Asia 2008, Tokyo, Japan
File:JapanRegulator (1).JPG|John Lothian & Regina Thoele visit Keizo Goto in The Financial Futures Association of Japan office in 2008, Tokyo, Japan
File:HallofFameToast-250px.jpg|John Lothian toasting being inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame, Boca Raton, FL
File:John&WaltHallofFame.jpg|Walt Lukken presenting John Lothian with the FIA Hall of Fame Award, Boca Raton, FL
File:JohnandLeoMelamed.JPG|John with Leo Melamed post shooting of first Open Outcry Traders History Project interview, Chicago, IL
File:P1030981.JPG|John & Robert Lothian Camping in Sylvania Wilderness Area, Crooked Lake, Ottawa National Forest, Upper Peninsula of Michigan
File:JohnAysoRef-small.jpg|AYSO Referee, AYSO Region 399 Referee, Elmhurst, IL
File:John&MyriamHerreraatLasalleDinner.JPG|John with Myriam Herrera of Pathway to Adventure Council, Boy Scouts of America, Chicago, IL
File:JohnRobbyTimCherylatTimEagleCOH.jpg|John with Robert Lothian, Tim Lothian & Cheryl Lothian at Tim's Eagle Court of Honor, Elmhurst, IL
File:TimBestowingDadPinonJohnatEagleCOH.jpg|Tim Lothian bestows Dad Eagle Pin on John, Elmhurst, IL
File:Troop117GInauguralnight.jpg|Troop 117G on the inaugural night of its existence, Elmhurst, IL 
== Contact Info ==
Email: johnlothian@johnlothian.com
== External Links ==
*John J. Lothian & Company, Inc. Website
*John Lothian News Website
*John Lothian Productions Website
*John Lothian on Twitter
*MarketsWiki Education Website
*LinkedIn
== References ==	
Category:MarketsWiki Development Team
Category:Commodity Trading Advisors
Category:Introducing Brokers
Category:Journalists
Category:Futures Brokers
Category:Price Futures Group
Category:Price Futures Group - Former Employees
Category:John J. Lothian Managed Futures LLC
Category:John J. Lothian & Company, Inc.
Category:John Lothian News
Category:John Lothian Productions
Category:First American Discount Corporation
Category:First American Discount Corporation - Former Employees
Category:The IFM
Category:The IFM Board of Trustees - Former Members
Category: CEOs
Category:Knight Ridder
Category:Knight Ridder - Former Employees
Category:Gerald, Inc.
Category:Gerald, Inc. - Former Employees
Category:Futures Hall of Fame Members