Risk management
Icecap completes first closing of its carbon portfolio
Icecap, the carbon emissions group, has today reached first closing of its carbon portfolio having raised aggregate commitments to buy 15 million tonnes of carbon credits from the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation markets.
Duke Energy to adopt Cinergy trading approach
Following the transfer of its energy derivatives portfolio to Barclays Capital, Duke Energy is targeting a lower-risk trading strategy pioneered by Cinergy, the company it is buying
Refco raises further concerns
As the Refco bankruptcy case rumbles on, investors are wondering if more could have been done to prevent it, and in future, are likely to seek better assurances over the security of funds in segregated customer accounts
Papering over the cracks
High energy prices are forcing pulp-and-paper makers to take action against falling profits, yet most companies are still shying away from energy price hedging. But that situation may be slowly changing. Joe Marsh reports
Top of the agenda
Energy Risk's inaugural risk management survey reveals what you consider the biggest challenges, greatest fears and chief problems facing risk managers today, and what changes you would like to see in the future
Nymex plans to sell 10% stake to private equity firm
The New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) has signalled its intention to sell a 10% equity stake to General Atlantic, a US-based private equity firm, for $135 million.
Indian exchange to list IPE Brent crude futures
Oil traders in India will from September 15 be able to trade rupee-denominated Brent crude futures, settled monthly by reference to the benchmark IPE Brent crude futures contract.
King coal still fired up
Despite the soaring cost of emissions reduction credits, the EU emissions trading scheme has yet to dampen utilities’ demand for coal. But, finds Oliver Holtaway, it may affect their long-term investment decisions
Coal facing changes
Coal derivatives trading is gaining popularity among coal consumers, producers and financial institutions in Europe, according to a recent survey of market players. Cyriel de Jong and Kasper Walet discuss the study’s results
A disciplined approach
E&P companies tend not to strategically hedge in a rising market. But there are good reasons for them to do so, and some are sticking to their hedging strategies, despite suffering losses on their derivatives contracts. By Joe Marsh
Evolution expands US west coast emissions brokerage ops
Energy broker Evolution Markets has expanded its environmental market operations for the western US with the hire of Laura Meadors, an expert in environmental market design and analysis. She is based in the San Francisco office, which opened in February…
Pricing the weather
Pricing weather derivatives is different from valuing other derivatives contracts – actuarial methods play a greater role. Steve Jewson looks at the varied approaches available
Strength in numbers
Weather derivatives seem to have a bright future: the market is enjoying record liquidity levels as new players, trading ever more diverse products, flood into the market. Oliver Holtaway reports
In pole position
Sakonnet’s Thurstan Bannister says a sound footing in risk management and a customer-facing approach is the secret of his company’s success. By Stella Farrington
Keep it simple, stupid
Do you prefer sophistication or simplicity? Neil Palmer takes a look at optimisation methods in energy modelling and asks if energy quants aren’t sometimes being a little too heavy-handed
Struggling for growth
All three Canadian energy exchanges – NGX, Watt-Ex and NetThruPut – are finding it slow-going with their expansion plans. Meanwhile the rivalry between NGX and Watt-Ex is growing. Joe Marsh reports
The technology trap
Large banks are increasingly looking to energy trading to improve liquidity and develop relationships with large institutional and industrial clients. James Kemp looks at some of the technological challenges they face
Checking outside the box
Companies often use checklists to evaluate their IT buying requirements. But these rarely address what the firm actually needs. Brett Humphreys discusses how over-reliance on checklists may lead to poor software buying decisions
Making a connection
Addressing both sophisticated multi-asset trading and physical asset optimisation – while complying with stringent new regulation – are challenges few software firms claim to have the entire solution to. Oliver Holtaway reports
A growing concern
Despite high natural gas prices, Canadian fertiliser maker Agrium has been posting strong profits, while some rivals have struggled. The company’s risk-management strategy has been a significant factor in its success. By Joe Marsh
A good time to build
US utilities may need to spend more than $100 billion in the next 25 years on new power plants and transmission capacity. Richard McMahon looks at how utilities are assessing long-term risks and attracting potential investors
The best of all worlds
Thanks to their varying scale, structure and diversity, European organisations often have very different solutions to risk management. But which system is the most effective? In an exclusive to Energy Risk, the European Energy Risk Forum offers a route…
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…