Market risk
Platts and Shell seek support for competing Brent crude reforms
Oil major Shell and price reporting agency Platts offer rival plans to fix market distortions in Brent crude oil
Collateral and commodity market dynamics in the new normal
Collateral quality and depth are playing an increasingly important role in a market characterised by systemic risks and high correlations among asset classes, including commodities. That is a trend that should concern energy risk managers, argues Stephen…
Energy Risk Software Survey and Rankings 2013
Energy trading and risk management (ETRM) software budgets are declining, just as new regulatory requirements are putting more demand on ETRM platforms than in previous years, according to the results of Energy Risk’s 2013 Software Survey and Rankings…
EU ETS faces back-loading test
Dismal prices in the European Union Emissions Trading System are causing interest in the world’s largest emissions market to wither away. While the European Commission has come up with a plan to put it on life support, analysts say there is a 50:50…
Q&A: Alberto Pototschnig, Acer
Alberto Pototschnig was appointed as the inaugural director of the Ljubljana-based Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators in 2010. In an exclusive interview, he speaks to Mark Pengelly about market manipulation, financial regulation and the…
Tankard natural gas indexes greeted with scepticism
Traders show little enthusiasm for Tankard indexes of European natural gas, despite ongoing concerns about the reliability of assessments by price reporting agencies. Gillian Carr reports
Bank commodity VAR remains muted in Q4
Fourth-quarter results show low risk appetite continues to prevail at banks, reflecting tougher capital requirements and a continuing lack of trading opportunities, writes Jay Maroo
Energy firms scramble to avoid swap dealer label
Switching to futures and rewriting corporate websites could help reluctant energy companies avoid having to register as swap dealers under Dodd-Frank, reports Alexander Osipovich
Futurisation worries end-users of OTC energy derivatives
Regulation has caused much of the over-the-counter energy derivatives market to move to exchange-traded futures. While many market participants welcome the shift, derivatives end-users worry that it could harm their ability to hedge. Alexander Osipovich…
Energy firms increasingly using stress tests to cope with regulatory change
Utilities and other energy firms are working hard to refine and enhance the scenarios they use for stress testing. Given recent market events, the impact of regulatory change and large-scale liquidity crises are taking on an increasingly important role…
Applied risk management series: OTC commodity swaps valuation, hedging and trading
In this article, Carlos Blanco and Michael Pierce provide an overview of swap instruments and discuss the pricing, valuation, hedging and risk management of over-the-counter commodity swaps. They also comment on the expected ramifications of new…
Risk & Energy Risk Commodity Rankings 2013 – energy
Muted volatility, sluggish trading activity and regulatory changes have conspired to create a tough environment for energy market participants over the past year. That has fuelled a lot of movement in this year’s Risk and Energy Risk Commodity Rankings,…
Risk & Energy Risk Commodity Rankings 2013 – metals
In a torrid year for metals traders, Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking retained first place in base metals, with UBS again leading the way in precious metals. By Tom Newton
Commodity correlation returning to pre-2008 levels, say analysts
The tight link between commodities and equities is easing as firms become less worried about macro shocks, say analysts
TTF benefits from growing liquidity among European gas hubs
Growing liquidity in the European gas market and a gradual edging away from oil and gas indexation are giving a boost to continental gas hubs – with the Dutch Title Transfer Facility emerging as the biggest beneficiary. Gillian Carr reports
Post-MF Global segregation reforms spark fierce debate
The failures of brokers MF Global and PFGBest have shaken the faith of commodity hedgers in their futures commission merchants (FCMs). But are regulators doing enough to protect customers from another FCM implosion? Alexander Osipovich reports
Brent challenges WTI despite questions about oil benchmark
Brent is challenging West Texas Intermediate for the title of the world’s preferred oil benchmark. But as market participants flock to the North Sea crude contract, some critics question whether it is truly a reliable gauge of global prices. Alexander…
Turning points: Frédéric Lasserre, Belaco Capital
Recent years have seen an outflow of commodity derivatives talent from banks towards hedge funds and independent traders. This is the path trodden by Frédéric Lasserre, former head of Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking’s commodity research…
Energy Risk's Europe and North America awards open for submissions
Energy Risk's prestigious Europe and North America awards open for entries from market participants
Coal derivatives activity rises in Europe and US despite differences
The market for coal is being drastically reshaped by changes in the pattern of global supply and demand. In both Europe and the US, this is causing an increase in coal derivatives trading, albeit for different reasons. Gillian Carr investigates
Cutting edge: Hedging price and volumetric risks of fixed-price load-serving contracts in natural gas markets
In this article, Ning Zhang and Robert Cumbie propose a utility maximisation method for natural gas marketers to find optimal hedging strategies to deal with price and load uncertainty by using price and weather derivatives. Monte Carlo simulation…
Railroad indexing to API 2 could help US coal exporters manage risk
Link to API 2 could make exports look more attractive and reflects growing participation in coal market by US firms
PRAs push back against potential EU rules on benchmarks
Price reporting agencies among the most vehement critics of potential EU rules on benchmark indexes