Feature
Refiners feel the squeeze
While crude oil prices have undergone a 70% decline since July, gasoline has dropped by 75%, taking the crack spread into negative territory. Eric Fishhaut of GlobalView Software looks at this unusual phenomenon
The next regulatory era
Market turmoil and political pressure are forcing the US CFTC to consider implementing new derivatives regulation or face potentially draconian rules imposed by Congress, write Gregory Mocek and Athena Velie
Gas storage: rolling intrinsic valuation
John Breslin, Les Clewlow, Tobias Elbert, Calvin Kwok, Chris Strickland and Daniel van der Zee describe a simple to execute and risk-limiting trading strategy, the rolling intrinsic method
Boom or bust for US LNG?
The US has been gearing up to import LNG in the face of declining domestic supply, but imports are still less than 20% of the country's LNG terminal capacity. Stephen Makowka and Kenneth Grant of Compass Lexecon report
LNG pricing - Moving forward
While the bulk of global LNG volumes remain locked up in opaque long-term deals, attempts are being made to introduce price transparency and a forward curve to the market. Roderick Bruce investigates
The big finance freeze
Falling oil and gas prices, the credit squeeze and the economic slump are combining to hit energy project investment, while lack of trust in financial markets has sidelined structured products. By Maria Kielmass
Slipping and sliding away
Are fundamentals behind oil's steep price increase and subsequent fall, or was it the bursting of a speculative bubble? Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer and Paulo Homem Cristo of Point Carbon assess the impact of fundamental and non-fundamental drivers on…
Getting the measure of it
Measuring risk in the face of a lack of data is one of the greatest challenges for energy risk managers, say respondents of our risk management survey. Stella Farrington sets out this year's findings
Cultural exchange
EEX and Powernext's agreement to share their electricity spot and derivatives markets represents groundbreaking Franco-German energy market co-operation. The CEOs of both exchanges talk to Roderick Bruce about the challenges involved and what the merged…
The sum of all parts
The recent financial crisis has put enterprise-wide risk management firmly in the spotlight. Pauline McCallion looks at how this increased interest could advance ERM, and asks whether total ERM can ever be fully achieved
LNG fundamentals - Natural selection
The LNG market for Europe and Asia has been traditionally tight, but new supply looks set to change market dynamics. Katie Holliday reports
Renewables call for transmission build
Many US states have ambitious renewable energy targets, but billions need to be spent on transmission infrastructure if this new power is to come on line. Susan Arterian Chang looks at the challenges involved in creating the interstate transmission…
Paul Ezekiel
You don't need to be brain surgeon to be a successful carbon trader, but it helps, Paul Ezekiel, managing director and head of carbon trading at Credit Suisse, tells Pauline McCallion
End of the boom?
Canadian oil sands production has grown rapidly in recent years, but are rising project costs and falling oil prices now jeopardising projects? Pauline McCallion investigates
Where next for oil prices?
Despite recent steep losses, oil remains in a long-term uptrend, although this is under serious pressure. A technical analysis suggests risk remains greatest to the downside, writes David Linton of Updata
Shale shake-up
With high natural gas prices, volatility and fewer financingoptions, shale gas developers are de-risking through jointventures and more aggressive hedging programmes. CatherineLacoursière reports
How low can it go?
Oil prices have lost almost half their value since thesummer as the turmoil in the global financial marketsrages on, causing many analysts to revise down theirforecasts. Pauline McCallion finds out what they areexpecting for next year and beyond
What’s our policy?
Today’s volatile and unpredictablemarket conditions make itincreasingly important to designan overarching risk managementpolicy upon which a riskmanagement programme can bedefined and built. David Perez ofEnite offers some guidelines
Political power
Eight years after market liberalisation, Italyis launching physical electricity forwardsand financial futures, but barriers to afreely-traded transparent power marketremain. Roderick Bruce reports