Long names call for shorthand. Here is a list (by no means exhaustive) of acronyms for investment and finance-related entities, which you might come across in this blog or elsewhere:
- ACLI – American Council of Life Insurers. ACLI is an association of American life insurance carriers which promotes the life insurance industry to the public and deals with legislation on all levels of government as it relates to life insurance. ACLI is based in Washington, D.C. and is an SRO.
- AICPA – American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. AICPA is the national professional organization for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States. AICPA is an SRO.
- CBOT – The Chicago Board of Trade. CBOT is an SRO. A commodity exchange established in 1848 where both agricultural and financial contracts are traded. The CBOT originally traded only agricultural commodities such as wheat, corn, and soybeans. The CBOT currently offers options and futures contracts on a variety of products including gold, silver, US Treasury bonds, and energy. The CBOT is part of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group.
- CFTC – The U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Established as an independent agency of the US government in 1974, the CFTC regulates U.S. derivatives markets, which includes futures, swaps, and certain kinds of options.