Coal derivatives market fired up by new participants

Commodity traders and physical producers move into coal derivatives as major banks retreat

Despite a pullback by investment banks, the volume of trading in coal derivatives is expected to continue growing this year, as a new group of market players increase their activity, say industry participants.

During the past year, banks such as Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley have scaled back their commitment to commodities, in moves that are expected to lead to reduced activity in coal derivatives. But at the same time, a range of other firms – including commodity trading houses