Commodities/Exchanges
Japanese brokers face testing times
Plummeting volumes in Japan's commodity futures markets have forced many Japanese commodity brokerages out of business. Katie Holliday reports
Exchange proliferation
Regional commodity exchanges are expanding to secure more corporate hedging business and flows from speculators keen to exploit pricing anomalies at a time when volatility is high and bilateral counterparty risk is a major worry. Georgina Lee reports
Safe haven
Gold has been a favourite with investors looking for a safe haven since last year’s turbulence began. But will this persist in 2009, or will the precious metal start to lose its shine as a hedging option? Pauline McCallion finds out
Ex-SemGroup CEO denies trading strategy caused bankruptcy
Former SemGroup chief Tom Kivisto has criticized a court report that stated his speculative oil trading drove the company to bankruptcy.
Morgan Stanley named in FCStone saga
Morgan Stanley has revealed its role in the disposal of a loss-making energy trading account by FCStone in March 2009.
ICE launches 20 OTC cleared oil contracts
IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) has introduced 20 new cleared OTC oil contracts, which will be available for clearing from May 18, 2009.
S&P offers interest rate arbitrage indexes
Index provider Standard & Poor's has launched the S&P Forward Interest Rate Arbitrage Index series, which is designed to provide exposure to interest-rate based investment strategies. The index series, which will comprise indexes for seven countries…
Aluminium canned
Aluminium prices hit a seven-year low in March. Is there any bullish news for the market? Roderick Bruce finds out
Trading spreads
Ray Eyles, JP Morgan's CEO for European commodities, a 20-year market veteran, speaks to Roderick Bruce about the bank's continued expansion in commodity markets during challenging times for the banking sector
Oil Storage Data - Taking Stock
Volatile prices and perceived problems with WTI as a benchmark have triggered renewed calls for weekly European stock data to supplement US data. An EC directive is currently being discussed, but not everyone is in favour of this, finds Rachel Morison
Measure for measure
Claims that the WTI price benchmark has become ineffective have led some in the oil industry to call for a new US marker for sour crude. Roderick Bruce measures industry reaction and the potential for a global sour crude benchmark
Russian revolution?
The news that TNK-BP will sell oil products on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange could signal a shift by Russia towards market mechanisms, Roderick Bruce reports
CME acquires hurricane index
CME Group has acquired the Carvill Hurricane Index from Carvill America Inc. and renamed it the CME Hurricane Index.
First agricultural swap on CME Clearport
Starsupply Renewables, a biofuels and agricultural commodities brokerage, has successfully brokered the first ever cleared swap for an agricultural product using CME ClearPort.
Shanghai steel futures begin trading
The Shanghai Futures Exchange launched trading in steel futures on March 26 to modest success, with a wide range of trading houses supporting the new contracts, traders and analysts said.
Shanghai steel futures shine on first day of trading
The Shanghai Futures Exchange launched trading in steel futures on March 26 to modest success, with a wide range of trading houses supporting the new contracts, traders and analysts said. The two new contracts are the seventh and eighth products to be…
CME launches OTC grain swaps through ClearPort
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has given regulatory approval for the CME to clear corn basis swaps and calendar swaps for corn, wheat and soybeans.