Risk management
Managing credit risk - Escaping credit risk
Managing credit risk is now one of the most pressing issues in energy trading. Britta Berlinghof, senior credit officer at Nuon, looks at implications of the 2008 crisis, and suggests some best practices in managing credit risk
Choppy outlook
Dry freight rates begin the year at levels far below the start of 2008 on plummeting demand. Peter Norfolk at SSY discusses the outlook for 2009
One stop shop
The world’s biggest commodity exchanges continue to expand the range of products they offer, often into diverse commodity classes. Rachel Morison looks at the benefits and drawbacks for traders as commodity exchanges branch out beyond their traditional…
Commodity Rankings 2009
Results and analysis of the 16th annual Commodity Rankings, the largest poll of its kind in the energy and metals markets. Research by Xiao-Long Chen , reporting by Roderick Bruce and Donna Haws
The fight is on for LCH
US clearing giant The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has insisted that a merger with London-based clearing house LCH.Clearnet would be completed by the end of March, despite a possible rival bid.
DGCX plastics contracts launch postponed
The launch of two new plastics futures contracts at the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has been delayed.
Derivatives to move to exchange-cleared platforms in 2009
Financial industry experts are predicting a further shift in how derivatives are traded in 2009, with exchange-traded products expected to take over from OTC derivatives, according to a survey by derivatives technology provider Sophis.
FFA market shifts further towards clearing
Fears of counterparty credit risk have led to a sharp migration towards clearing in the freight derivatives market over the past four months. The ratio of cleared forward freight agreement (FFA) trades to non-cleared over-the-counter trades in the last…
CME and JSE to cooperate on corn futures contract
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is to license CME Group's benchmark corn futures settlement prices to create a new JSE cash-settled corn futures contract.
FCStone buys Australian risk management firm
US commodity risk management firm FCStone Group has bought the risk management arm of Australian rural services provider Elders for an undisclosed sum.
Adapting to change
The buoyant commodity job market of the last four years is changing as the financial crisis pares down trading opportunities across all asset classes. This new employment landscape will require both commodity firms and traders to learn new strategies to…
The three flavours of VaR
Each of the three methods of calculating value-at-risk has its pros and cons. Brian Shydlo of Sirius Solutions examines them
NCDEX launches gold and silver contracts
India's second largest commodity exchange, the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), added gold and silver futures contracts to its portfolio at the end of December 2008. According to the exchange, the contracts were launched in response…
ICE Clear US to clear agricultural swaps
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has announced that ICE Clear US will clear sugar, coffee and cocoa swap contracts on ICE Futures US from late January 2009.
Electronic OTC commodities platform launched
Agora-X has launched an electronic communications network (ECN) for the negotiation of over-the-counter (OTC) transactions in commodity and derivative contracts.
Energy Risk: video interview
Energy Risk interviews European Energy Exchange CEO Hans-Bernd Menzel about the role of exchanges and clearing in Europe's energy markets.
Liffe to launch commodities on Bclear
Liffe, the international derivatives business of Euronext, has announced that it will launch a range of soft and agricultural commodities on its Bclear OTC derivatives platform in the first quarter of 2009.