Enterprise risk
Tackling the credit insurance challenge
Credit insurance was one of the main risks for energy buyers in 2009 and looks set to stick around in 2010. Wayne Mitchell, head of corporate sales at npower, discusses how using an energy-trading approach can help energy suppliers and customers manage…
Turning points: Catherine Flax, chief executive officer of commodities for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at JP Morgan
Catherine Flax, chief executive officer of commodities for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at JP Morgan, shares her renowned enthusiasm for the commodities sector with Lianna Brinded
BNP Paribas’ commodity research to triple
French investment bank BNP Paribas is set to more than triple its commodity research team, across metals, soft commodities and carbon emissions, in order to bolster its trading side as it goes on an aggressive drive to gather more hedge funds and…
FIA recommends DMA risk management controls
A Futures Industry Association (FIA) report published yesterday aims to establish best practices in managing the risk surrounding direct access to exchanges.
BarCap launches nine commodity ETNs
Barclays Capital launched exchange-traded notes (ETNs) in Europe on Tuesday, listing 12 new ETNs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), consisting of nine commodity exchange-traded products and three notes linked to volatility indexes for equities.
Reform bill passes Ag Committee before full Senate debate
The US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry has approved the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act, containing some of the strongest derivatives reforms proposed since the financial crisis.
Ex-RBS Sempra boss heads to UBS
UBS has hired former RBS Sempra Commodities head Kaushik Amin amid speculation that it will restart its commodities trading business
CFTC data shows speculators don't influence commodity markets
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) re-aggregated data releases show speculation has minimal impact on oil price movements, according to investment bank Credit Agricole.
Valid Assumptions Required: an analysis of VaR for energy markets
In this 10-part series, Brett Humphreys takes a fresh look at the widely used risk measure value-at-risk (VaR), urging risk managers to be more aware of the many assumptions that go into the calculation to produce the VaR number.
Clearing exemption too close to call
Exempting commercial hedgers from mandatory clearing could create a loophole for the institutional investors often blamed for driving up commodity prices, according to the chief lawyer for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Energy Risk - Commodity Rankings Reception - photos
Highlights from Energy Risk’s Commodity Rankings cocktail reception, held in London on February 25
Turning points: Chris Schlegel, risk manager with Southern Company
Chris Schlegel, risk manager with Southern Company, speaks to Lianna Brinded about the changing landscape for energy risk management amid the new global energy mix
Pass the microphone: Preston to Cusenza
What have power trading and personal genetics got in common, and what are the advantages of a clearing house using VAR to calculate margin? Ben Preston, head of power trading at Macquarie Energy, puts his questions to Paul Cusenza, CEO of Nodal Exchange
Q&A with JP Morgan’s head of commodities for India
Indian businesses are keen to learn how to recognise their exposures to commodity price volatility and, in turn, manage that risk, says JP Morgan’s Rahul Eapen. He tells Katie Holliday why the varying levels of knowledge and understanding make the Indian…
Building the blocks for energy risk management in India
The concept of using derivatives for risk management is still relatively new to utilities in India and viewed with caution by market regulators. Katie Holliday talks to market experts about how they expect the discipline of risk management to develop
Trading positions – April 2010
Energy Risk catches up with the latest appointments, promotions and departures in global commodity markets
China secures big Angola oil deal
Chinese oil refining, producing and trading company China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) has acquired deep-water oil assets in Angola by buying a 55% stake in Sonangol Sinopec, in a bid to further secure its diverse portfolio of oil import security.
UNFCCC official: public and private sectors must work together on CDMs
The relationship between the public and private sector needs to be strengthened at a quicker pace to ensure the future of project-based mechanisms such as clean development mechanism (CDM) and joint implementation (JI) projects, says a United Nations…
ETF Securities launches commodity index tracker fund
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and currency specialist ETF Securities has launched the first ETF to track the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Three-Month Forward Index (DJ-UBSCI F3(SM)), following growing investor demand for diversified commodity related products.
S&P to launch commodity sub-indexes amid US regulation fears
Ratings agency and financial research firm Standard & Poor’s (S&P) is to roll out two commodity-related sub-indexes that focus only on European and Asian contracts in response to fears the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will make further…
Recycled CER scandal could push carbon trading over the counter
The latest scandal to hit the carbon markets, involving the trading of recycled Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs), could damage the credibility of carbon credits and push volumes off exchanges and onto the over-the-counter markets, say experts.
BP and Devon team up to develop oil sands play
BP and Devon Energy have entered into a joint venture that will use the latter’s in-situ production expertise to develop BP’s Kirby oil sands leases in Alberta, Canada.
IEA revises China oil outlook for 2010
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has revised its global oil demand forecast for the second time this year, following a double digit upwards surge in China’s year-on-year apparent oil demand in January.