Market risk
Romania bans OTC emissions trading to combat fraud
Romanian authorities have banned European Union carbon emissions allowances (EUA) in the over-the-counter derivatives market to prevent EUA tax fraud, after ruling that these contracts are now classed as equity securities and therefore can only be bought…
BAML: Iraq poses risk to oil outlook
Iraq poses a risk to oil market outlook as the country may not fulfil output expectations in the shorter term, says Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML). However, the prospect of a huge increase in oil production may still maybe able to keep prices under…
Indian CDM market on shaky ground
India’s position as one of the leading markets for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects is currently on shaky ground, say market experts.
Market fears two-tier EU ETS post-2012
Following a lack of collective will to determine a binding agreement at the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen (Cop15), analysts say the West may take steps to either ban or restrict most Chinese certified emissions reduction (CER) credits in the…
UK gas prices to remain low despite weather
Spot and future UK gas prices will remain low over the next few months, despite the cold snap, after official government forecasts revealed its expectations for milder weather, say analysts.
Hedge funds will return to energy markets in H2
Energy hedge fund investors will return to the market in the second half of the year, as these investment managers see prices rise towards the end of 2010, say analysts.
Energy Risk: What's coming next?
Energy Risk brings you a snapshot of what's moving and shaking the markets.
Global supply squeeze to ease with China/Saudi ties
The global oil supply tightness forecast for the next five years due to increasing Asian demand might be eased by China’s latest move to promote closer ties and secure more imports from Saudi Arabia, say analysts.
US shale extraction technique under investigation
US oil and gas shale production - seen as a vital contributor to US energy needs - is under investigation due to environmental fears over extraction techniques.
Icap Energy head: Oil broking screen a response to "regulatory times"
Interdealer brokerage Icap Energy will launch a combined voice-electronic broking service for over-the-counter (OTC) crude, fuel oil and middle distillate swaps, subject to regulatory approval. The service, entitled Icap TrueQuote, will offer straight…
Some CERs “not sexy” enough for investors: carbon industry heavyweight
Certified emissions reduction (CER) credits generated from clean development mechanism (CDM) projects, such as Chinese wind farms, are just “not sexy” enough for investors at the moment and they are looking to other regions like Africa, says Liz Bossley,…
Oil majors go solo with emissions campaign
BP and ConocoPhillips will not renew their respective memberships of the US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), announcing separate plans to engage policymakers as individual organisations.
Oil price of $70-80/bbl expected in 2010
Oil prices are expected to remain between $70 and $80 per barrel (bbl) this year, according to a consensus of industry experts speaking at the IP Week conference in London.
Iraq's capacity puts pressure on oil prices
The recovery of Iraq’s oil industry is putting downward pressure on global oil prices as the ability of the world market to absorb the extra capacity might be limited, say oil experts.
JP Morgan and RBS Sempra Commodities agree $1.7bn deal
RBS Sempra Commodities has sold its global oil, global metals, and European power and gas assets to JP Morgan for $1.7 billion.
China seen overtaking US as biggest oil importer in 2-3 years
“In two to three years, China will be the largest global importer of crude oil,” Jorge Montepeque, global director of market reports for Platts, said at today’s Global Outlook for Oil event during IP Week.
China forces IEA to boost oil demand forecast
Higher-than-expected demand from China and other Asian countries has forced the International Energy Agency (IEA) to revise up its global oil demand forecast for 2010 by 120,000 barrels a day (b/d) to 86.5 million b/d.
Iraq adopts new pricing for US crude
Somo, the Iraqi state-owned oil marketing firm, has followed in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait by adopting the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI) to benchmark price sales of US-bound crude from April onwards.
Citi names new global commodities head
Stuart Staley has taken over as Citigroup’s global head of commodities, as the bank aims to boost the business by 30-40% over the next three years.
Gazprom sells US LNG to China
Russian energy company Gazprom has shipped 1 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China, as the US gas market has an unfavourable pricing environment, says Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of Gazprom’s management committee and director…
CFTC to open risk management office
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will use funding under the Obama Administration’s new budget to create two offices focusing on risk management.