carbon markets
A calculated gamble
After a promising start, Canadian carbon trading has slowed. The country has much work to do if it wants to get a domestic greenhouse-gas trading market running ahead of the 2008 Kyoto deadline. By Catherine Lacoursiere
Austrian Energy Exchange launches emissions trading
The Austrian Energy Exchange, EXAA, joined the ranks of European exchanges trading emissions yesterday with its first spot auction of European Union CO 2 allowances (EUAs).
Swiss Re to launch emissions desk
Global reinsurance firm Swiss Re will set up an emissions desk in within a month, says Chris Walker, New York-based managing director of the greenhouse gas risk solutions team at the company.
ECX and Powernext team up on carbon trading
French electricity exchange Powernext and the Amsterdam-based European Climate Exchange (ECX) have agreed to jointly offer carbon futures and spot contracts. The partnership is complimentary, because ECX lists a futures contract and Powernext offers a CO…
New carbon brokerage targets non-power-sector SMEs
Three senior players in the European emissions trading market have launched Carbon Capital Markets, a broker-dealer service that targets small to medium-sized companies (SMEs) outside the power sector.
Powernext to launch spot carbon contract in late June
French electricity exchange Powernext will launch its delayed CO 2 emissions spot market on June 24, barring any technical or administrative difficulties among market members.
Spectron brokers first 'clean' spark spread
Energy broker Spectron has facilitated the UK’s first carbon-neutral, or 'clean', spark spread trade.
DrKW launches retail carbon product
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has paved the way for private investors to gain exposure to the carbon emissions market with a new securitised product.
Barclays Capital in first Leba carbon index trade
Barclays Capital has completed the first financial carbon trade using the new Leba Carbon Index for "a significant volume" of EU emissions allowances.
Point Carbon buys Natsource Scandinavia’s analysis unit
Carbon emissions consultancy Point Carbon has bought Natsource-Tullett Scandinavia, Europe’s largest power and gas analysis firm, but will disband Natsource’s Oslo brokerage operations. The move adds power and natural gas market analysis to Point Carbon…
Carbon copycats
The EU emissions trading scheme, which started in January this year, is already attracting the attention of hedge funds, who see opportunities in this developing and less crowded market, finds Solomon Teague
Vying for top spot
Emissions traders will soon be looking beyond simple forward trades towards options, swaps and exotic derivatives. But for these markets to develop, a tried and trusted index or daily assessment must emerge. Several firms are now vying to become the…
Signs of the times
A comprehensive Energy Risk survey into emissions trading finds there is widespread confidence in the development of the market, but less conviction that the scheme will tackle global warming. Stella Farrington reports
Winds from the west
A raft of MOUs and price cuts during the past 18 months shows the determination of US exchanges to gain a foothold in Asian markets. But are Asian investors ready for their products? By James Ockenden
Editor
"Even advocates of the screen must concede that some of the colour has gone out of the City of London"
Enter the scrum
A surprise Opec headline can throw the market into a tailspin, but gathering the news can be even more frenetic. In March, one scrum even resulted in broken bones. Stella Farrington writes from Iran
IPE-ECX carbon futures contract faces fierce competition
London’s International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) and the Amsterdam-based European Climate Exchange (ECX) are set to offer CO 2 futures contracts under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Powernext selects Trayport for emissions trading, awaits CO 2 allocation
French electricity exchange Powernext will use software supplier Trayport’s Global Vision platform for CO 2 emissions trading, but is still waiting to start the spot emissions market it first announced in January.
A shift in perspective
As far as the electricity market is concerned, the EU emissions trading scheme is aimed only at the generation side of the market. But end users also affect carbon emissions levels. This could represent a missed opportunity. Here, Oliver Rix, Phil Grant…
Greenpeace protest at IPE fuels debate on emissions trading
Greenpeace’s invasion of London’s International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) on Wednesday was intended to draw attention to the environmental impact of ‘big oil’ on the day the Kyoto Protocol came into force. However, by attacking an exchange that is about…
UK broker trade group to launch emissions indexes
The London Energy Brokers’ Association (Leba) will launch a series of ‘green indices’, which it says are designed as independent benchmarks for the European emissions market. The association will release both spot and forward indexes, with the aim of…
If the cap fits...
Legal compliance seems the only way to achieve cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. Europe is leading the way, but the US is some way from a similar approach, despite a regional initiative sparking some interest. Joe Marsh reports
Amerex gains sulpur dioxide trading privileges on CCX
Houston-based broker Amerex Energy has obtained SO 2 trading privileges on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), an emissions-trading marketplace. Amerex can now broker futures contracts in trading increments of 25-tonne SO2 allowances. The standard over…