Articles by Stella Farrington
Mifid II commodities impact to hinge on trading venues
The evolving definition of an organised trading facility under Mifid II is worrying commodity market participants due to its critical role in determining whether certain energy trades fall under financial rules
Utility firms struggle to fend off Emir clearing
Europe’s largest utilities are concerned at the prospect of having to clear all their over-the-counter derivatives trades under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Emir). But although there are options for avoiding clearing under Emir, whether…
Utilities face pressure to clear OTC derivatives
Utilities are trying to avoid OTC derivatives clearing under Emir, but industry observers say bank capital requirements and rules on non-cleared derivatives may yet force them to clear their trades
European gas trading has bright future, panel says
Natural gas is staging a comeback in Europe after being squeezed out by coal during the past few years, according to a panel of market participants who spoke at Energy Risk Summit Europe
Panel bemoans impact of EU regulation on energy market
Worries about the impact of EU financial rules, such as Emir and Mifid II, are highlighted among a panel of compliance experts at Energy Risk Summit Europe
Energy companies divided on approach to Emir clearing
European utilities are concerned about breaching Emir thresholds requiring firms to clear their OTC derivatives trades, while oil majors are resigned to the idea
Energy firms face Emir confirmation challenge
A looming deadline for confirming OTC derivatives is expected to cause problems for smaller energy firms, which may find themselves blocked from trading with bigger counterparties
CpML to foster standardisation among energy traders
First developed by Efet, CpML is a standardised language for the storage and exchange of commodity data, which could help reduce the industry’s high levels of operational risk. As a new standalone entity takes over the running of CpML, Filip Sleeuwagen,…
Energy firms rely on patched-up solutions for reporting
Under new rules in Europe and the US, energy firms have to aggregate trade data from a variety of internal sources and report it to repositories. While it was hoped this process could lead to wider improvements in analytics, risk management and…
UK power market investigation overshadowed by EMR
A Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe into the UK power market, which may result in a radical shake-up of the sector, is coming amid major changes to the industry under Electricity Market Reform. How the CMA reconciles this will be closely…
Bespoke OTC reporting a struggle for energy firms
European energy trading firms say they are finding compliance with Emir trade reporting rules onerous and heavily reliant on manual intervention, particularly when it comes to non-standard trades
Moody's forecasts surprisingly stable UK power prices
Analysts at Moody's Investors Service believe UK electricity prices will remain steady until 2020, a prediction at odds with market consensus and government forecasts
Energy trading firms may rue the decline of quants
Quant finance transformed energy markets, but has been met with a lack of enthusiasm and investment since the financial crisis. That is a shame, say industry veterans, who point to a number of areas that could benefit from a renewed focus on quantitative…
UK electricity market likely to be hit by CMA probe
A shake-up of the UK power market is viewed as one likely outcome from a competition investigation into the country’s energy sector, but observers say the probe is being overshadowed by forthcoming regulatory reform
UK Electricity Market Reform welcomed by energy chiefs
Energy executives welcome the UK government's Electricity Market Reform at a conference in London, despite some differences between speakers on the finer details and likely future of the legislation
UK competition probe will 'rebuild trust' says EDF Energy chief
Vincent de Rivaz, the chief executive of supplier EDF Energy, says he supports a proposal by Ofgem to refer the UK energy market to the Competition and Markets Authority
Quants: how they shaped the modern energy market
Nowadays, quants are well established in energy trading. But the original introduction of quantitative techniques to the industry was far from straightforward, with a lot of hard work involved in adapting financial market models to the energy arena…
Tradition’s Pinchin looks back on successes and failures
David Pinchin, co-founder of Tradition Financial Services, speaks to Stella Farrington about his 30-year career in derivatives markets and how it informs his more recent work with disadvantaged youths
Carbon reform may be shaken by European Parliament vote
Proposals designed to address the problem of oversupply in the EU ETS – including the EC’s proposal for a market stability reserve – are likely to become harder to pass thanks to recent elections, say analysts
Quant energy models need greater emphasis on fundamentals
Boom in shale oil and gas extraction, and growth in renewables underline importance of reflecting fundamental factors in quant models, argue experts
OIES trying to fuel debate on energy markets, says Fattouh
Unlike other research houses, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies does not toe a single editorial line and occasionally publishes opposing views on the same topic. But far from being a drawback, that is what makes the institute great, argues…
Power market coupling could spur derivatives activity
Market coupling may result in greater derivatives use and falling participation in both explicit auctions and physical nominations, survey finds
Firms expect power market coupling to have tangible impact
The process of power market coupling is continuing across Europe, with the largest and most ambitious project to date going live in February. But how do market participants feel about market coupling and how it will affect their businesses? Stella…
Renewables risk derailing benefits of EU power integration
Renewable subsidies and capacity payments threaten to quell advantages brought about by European electricity market coupling, complain industry participants