Feature
Blue skies
Profile
Non-recourse redoubt
Non-recourse financing
Paying for dividends
Dividend risk
Total control
Profile
Essent Trading - Scaling barriers
In a frank appraisal of the state of energy trading in Europe, Essent Trading CEO Paymon Aliabadi tells Roderick Bruce about Essent's attempts to overcome the issues that still confront traders, and his vision for an integrated European market
The big freeze
The US subprime crisis has shown how market illiquidity can affect trading. Yet liquidity risk is a fact of life for commodity firms. William Rhode looks at how to mitigate it
Picking up the pace
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Sri Lanka's state-run oil supplier and refinery, is keen to increase its use of derivatives for hedging. But that's no simple matter for a government-owned company in an emerging market
EEX - An exchange of ideas
The European Energy Exchange is positioning itself as the key trading hub for Europe's energy and emissions markets. Roderick Bruce meets Tim Greenwood, head of UK operations at EEX, and Oliver Maibaum, sales and business development director, to discuss…
Germany's new dawn
For years a liquid, transparent and competitive gas market has failed to appear in Germany. Now there are signs of progress as dominant incumbents, pushed by domestic and international pressure, move slowly towards a market model, writes Roderick Bruce
Suppliers fight for green
A shortage of green power in the US has left some states struggling to meet mandatory renewables supply targets. Long-term supply contracts could help producers build new plants, but utilities and competitive suppliers are feuding over who gets to sign…
Deception and lies
Fraud
Core value
First American CoreLogic is said to be close to finalising a deal with a rating agency to provide loan level data as part of industry efforts to improve transparency and standardise information. Han-Nee Tay talks to Walter Allen, senior vice-president of…
Credit tighter for certain
Opinion
Turning on tables
Basel II
Liquidity at a premium
Opinion
Europe's mixed fortunes
Opinion
Hyman Minsky and the credit crisis: How much do regulators know about today's finance?
The credit markets experienced their very own 'Minsky moment' last summer, when great swathes of financial instruments imploded under the weight of their own debt. But should regulators have predicted this crisis and done something to prevent it? By…
Credit risk: learning from the crunch
New business opportunities bring new risks. The market innovations that helped precipitate the credit crisis demonstrate that a complex new approach to risk management is required - and that means thinking beyond models based on derivatives and Basel II,…
A call to arms
Covenants have been a cause of conflict between issuers and investors for as long as the bond market has been in existence. But now that appetite for lending has dipped, can investors use the crisis in credit to demand the best protection yet? Matthew…
Mortgage mergers
Unprecedented markdowns in the value of mortgage portfolios have left many mortgage banks vulnerable to takeover, with Countrywide already falling prey to Bank of America. But uncertainty over the scale of further losses is making potential buyers wary…
Hybrids - The alchemists
Much like the early scientists of the Middle Ages who tried to turn base metal into gold, today's financial engineers are wrestling with the task of changing relatively worthless structured credit products into commercially viable and marketable assets…
The Big Interview - Philip Fischer
Merrill Lynch's municipal bond strategist explains to Dalia Fahmy why the muni market deserves to be better understood