Gas/LNG
Industrial users - Taming the flame
Industrial users of natural gas in North America are investing in physical hedges while gradually returning to the financial markets
Europe - An uncertain future
European natural gas demand is expected to rise in the next three decades. But, as Anouk Honore finds, the overall picture is not easy to predict, and depends on what happens in individual countries - particularly Italy and Spain
Buyer and seller beware
As a busy M&A period looms in the US utility sector, a wave of power plant sales seems likely. But those looking to hedge the fuel supply to these assets will find it tricky, given the current volatile gas prices. By Joe Marsh
Bear Stearns and Calpine form energy marketing and trading company
Investment bank Bear Stearns and California-based power company Calpine Corp have formed an energy marketing and trading venture focused on physical natural gas and power trading and related structured transactions.
Pipelines and politics
The latest in a long line of disputes over natural gas supplies from Russia is raising concern among utility customers and investors that future supplies to the West may be disrupted. But is this a long-term problem? Oliver Holtaway reports
Storage strategies
Companies are increasingly realising they can use natural gas storage to add value to their bottom line. TransCanada’s Farzan Nathoo weighs up the strategies available for optimising value through storage
Just a seasonal swing?
US natural gas market volatility is keeping trading volume high. But is this just a seasonal phenomenon or part of a long-term trend? Catherine Lacoursiere reports
Getting it together
The US Committee of Chief Risk Officers is proposing an energy data hub to improve price transparency in the natural gas market, but index publisher Platts is concerned over some aspects of the initiative. Joe Marsh reports
Shell:powering up
Shell Trading’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect for people define thecompany and how it does business
Strategies for success
To succeed in the fast-changing US gas market requires an effective hedging and risk-management strategy. Accenture’s Alexander Landia , Paul Equale and Julie Adams look at what firms need to do to win in this key market
LNG makes headway
The market for liquefied natural gas is ripe for expansion, given the scarcity of oil and LNG’s cleaner burning properties, and a short-term market is emerging for the first time. Eric Fishhaut looks at the evolving structure of this international market
Germany’s closed shop
Despite six years of liberalisation, Germany’s gas market is still virtually closed to outside competition. Writing from Germany, Stella Farrington looks at whether new regulation is finally about to bring change
Spectron to launch LPG web-trading platform
UK energy broker Spectron will launch an online trading platform for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on Tuesday (February 22). Spectron said the screen will be the first to allow the trading of LPG in both the east and west, as outrights or spreads, and…
The basics of basis
Basis plays an important role for trading in the very complex US natural gas markets: spot will differ from the benchmark Henry Hub New York Mercantile Exchange price on the same day. Eric Fishhaut describes how the basis works and demonstrates the…
Evolution expands gas and power desk
US broker Evolution Markets has hired two brokers for the North American natural gas and power desk it launched in October. Corey Geraghty and Trenton Davis now broker gas and electricity options from the company headquarters in White Plains, New York.
Bridging the gas gap
Volatility in the natural gas markets shows no sign of any let-up, which means that managing basis risk at Henry Hub continues to spur demand for increasingly innovative derivatives products. Catherine Lacoursiere reports
Balanced buying
Yijun Du and Xiaorui Hu present a general framework for applyingmodern portfolio theory to optimal natural gas procurements.They showthat successful natural gas procurement involves determining the optimalallocation between fixed-price and floating-price…
UK traded gas market: What with liquidity?
The last two months have been a difficult time for UK gas traders; but Philippe Vedrenne and Marc Lansonneur from Gaselys say conditions will improve, leaving a market that may be stronger than ever
Changing of the guard
Changes to the European gas market may further attract financial players, and tighten the rules in case of physical supply disruptions. Meanwhile changes in the UK gas market may lead to clearing at the hub. By James Ockenden
Editor
"The good people buying and selling energy have once again been shafted by corporate greed"