Feature
Socar snaps up Phibro's London-based trading team
DME's Fix moves to Singapore; EDF Trading names North America head; Glencore oil veteran departs; Goldman loses commodity heads; BGC starts US base metals desk
Risk and Energy Risk Commodity Rankings 2015 photos
Winners of the 2015 Risk and Energy Risk Commodity Rankings were honoured on February 19 at a champagne reception in London’s West End. Energy Risk offers a sneak peek
Bank and investor exodus worsened oil rout, traders say
The role of financial trading in the recent collapse of crude oil has added a new twist to the old debate over the impact of speculation on commodity markets. Did retreating index investors, short-selling momentum traders and risk-averse banks exacerbate…
EU commodity position limits prove tricky to hammer out
EU regulators are working on plans to implement commodity derivatives position limits under Mifid II. But their latest proposals have been criticised by energy firms, which point to questions over issues such as hedging exemptions and where the limits…
Power capacity mechanisms worry EU electricity traders
Power traders are concerned that a growth of interest in capacity mechanisms could threaten the potency of traded electricity markets across the European Union, while disrupting plans to forge a unified internal energy market
US record-keeping rule hits commodity derivatives end-users
Changes to CFTC rules following the US Dodd-Frank Act are forcing end-users to retain piles of pre-trade communications and other business records. The commission has moved to relax the burden on end-users, but companies are still grumbling about the red…
Commodities regulation since the financial crisis
Risk.net presents an interactive timeline looking at major regulatory developments affecting commodity markets since the global financial crisis of 2008
CFTC reveals members of rebooted energy committee
Koch eyes global expansion; Mercuria names Good CFO; BTG Pactual suffers departures; Trafigura hires CFO in Houston; Quantum CEO moves on; Birol picked for top IEA job
Remit delegated reporting leaves unanswered questions
EU energy traders have until October to begin reporting the details of standard power and natural gas trades to regulators under Remit. But the exact process by which many of these initial contracts will be reported remains blurry
LME eyes Asian growth while dealing with regulation
Under chief executive Garry Jones, the London Metal Exchange is eagerly pursuing Asian growth. But the exchange is also spending much of its time dealing with the consequences of stricter regulation in more mature markets
Oil rout roils E&P and airline hedging strategies
Corporate risk management programmes have had a mixed track record amid the recent plunge in crude prices. Oil producers with a conservative approach to hedging are emerging as some of the winners, while some airlines are feeling regretful about their…
Republicans in Congress set to push Dodd-Frank fixes
With Republicans now in control of both houses of the US Congress, energy firms and other derivatives end-users are hoping for new legislation to ease some of the more troublesome aspects of the US Dodd-Frank Act. Their optimism is justified - up to a…
Regulation makes data top concern for energy traders
IT teams are playing a vital role in helping energy traders comply with regulation, improve the quality of internal reporting and manage with lower technology budgets. But they face big challenges, particularly when it comes to integrating data
Morgan Stanley names new commodities co-heads
Evolution unveils European coal desk; Mercuria hires Goldman's cross; New Danske CEO gets to work; Ex-Deutsche Asia power head joins GDF Suez; Gunvor COO steps down
EU ETS to become bigger priority for industrials
Back-loading and structural reforms to Europe’s carbon market are set to collide with a reduction in free allowances, making life tougher for the continent’s polluters. Market participants hope this will engender an increased focus on risk management and…
Dodd-Frank reporting lets traders prey on hedgers
The US Dodd-Frank Act has foisted transparency on derivatives markets by requiring the public reporting of over-the-counter trades. But some end-users are crying foul, as the new rules cast a spotlight on the once-hidden execution of their hedging…
‘Over-broad’ CFTC rules hurt end-users, Giancarlo says
Chris Giancarlo, the sole Republican on the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, says Dodd-Frank rules are failing energy firms, farmers and other hedgers. In an exclusive interview with Alexander Osipovich, he urges a rethink of the agency’s…
Head of metals trading leaves Credit Suisse
Emea power head leaves Citi; Noble makes two new hires; Morgan Stanley hires BAML's Felgate; Ex-Deutsche MD joins consultancy; CME energy chief departs
Energy evolution set to reshape risk management
During the next 20 years, the energy industry is expected to undergo transformational technological change, shaking up traditional patterns of correlation between different energy markets and creating demand for new types of instruments and more…
JP Morgan commodity heads reveal plans for the future
JP Morgan sold its physical commodities business to Switzerland-based Mercuria in October, a major retreat after years of aggressive expansion in energy and metals. But in an exclusive interview, the bank’s new global co-heads of commodities tell…
Commodity trading firms piece together Mifid II jigsaw
Mifid II is certain to have a big impact on commodity trading firms, but market participants say that piecing together the precise effect of the legislation is difficult due to undefined terms and its complex links with other European rules. Stella…
Official support fails to help Japan LNG contract
The launch of a new forward contract linked to liquefied natural gas (LNG) had been welcomed by the Japanese government amid hopes it might help local buyers manage their risk. But the contract has failed to take off - a sign of the challenges involved…
Enthusiasm for hedging wanes among US airlines
Airline fuel hedging was once a thriving business for bank commodity desks. But now major US carriers are showing less appetite for hedging, while non-bank dealers such as BP and Shell are also muscling in on the airline fuel hedging business. Alexander…
Looking back: El Niño boosts weather derivatives
Liquidity in the OTC weather derivatives market has suffered repeated false starts over the years, including one reported by Energy Risk in December 1997 with the onset of the El Niño weather pattern