Commodities/Foreign exchange
Bluenext suspends trading following VAT exemption for carbon
Trading will resume on environmental exchange Bluenext on Wednesday June 10 at 8.00AM after two days of closure following the French Budget Ministry's announcement that carbon permits will be exempt from VAT.
Saxo Bank lowers barriers for entry with launch of commodity CFDs
Copenhagen-based investment bank Saxo Bank has launched its first contracts for difference (CFDs) for investors in commodities, which the bank says will lower barriers to trading energy, metals, soft commodities and grains.
OTC carbon volumes increase by over 80%
The London Energy Brokers' Association (LEBA) has announced that over-the-counter (OTC) carbon volumes have grown by 82% during the first five months of 2009, compared to the same period last year.
Time to celebrate
Discover the leading lights in the global energy trading and risk management industry as we reveal the winners of the 2009 Energy Risk Awards
Russia and the EU Gas Market
Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas and holds the largest reserves. With Europe increasingly dependent on Russia for future gas supplies, Eric Fishhaut of GlobaView looks at Russia's influence over gas supply and demand
Majors' contango play set to fade
Oil companies that profited from storing oil amid falling prices are unlikely to to see similar returns as the longer-term economic picture begins to brighten. Pauline McCallion reports
Steel industry looks to iron ore swaps
Steel producers remain sceptical of the benefits of hedging with futures contracts. Now interest in iron-ore derivatives could offer another way for steel players to hedge risk, finds Katie Holliday
Sheikh Yamani: Saudi Arabia unlikely to embrace oil futures
In an interview this week, former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Yamani told Energy Risk that futures trading on exchanges had turned the global crude oil market into a "casino".
New RFS proposal could hurt corn demand
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest proposed regulations for the National Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has cast doubt on corn's future as the primary source of ethanol in the US.
Voluntary carbon market doubles in 2008
The voluntary carbon market is maturing fast and more than doubled in size last year, according to a new study from research firms Ecosystem Marketplace and New Carbon Finance.
Munich Stock Exchange to offer spot carbon trading
The Munich Stock Exchange plans to enter the carbon market with the introduction of spot trading for European Emission Allowances (EUAs) and Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) in the summer.
FSA bans second Morgan Stanley trader
The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) has banned David Redmond after he put on a large unauthorised oil futures trade while on Morgan Stanley's freight desk in London in February last year.
Volatility returns to pre-Lehman levels
Market volatility across several sectors has dropped back to levels last seen before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, lending weight to the belief that the financial markets are on the road to recovery.
Hoax hedges
Asia Risk FX Review & Outlook 2009 - Corporates
Norway to sell 12.7 million EUAs in 2009
The Norwegian Ministry of Finance has announced it will sell 12.7 million EUAs this year through Barclays Capital.