Energy Risk
Trading with a small ‘t’
What made headlines before is now becoming everyday news: energy companies are scaling back or leaving energy trading. Some industry observers are emphasising the shift to ‘trading around assets’. Anne Ku investigates just what this means
Seeking a boost for crude
Venezuela’s internal conflict and the intended removal of Saddam Hussein from Iraq have meant both countries are seeking deals with international investors to boost oil production. But are the potential legal problems worth the trouble? By Maria Kielmas
Seam shifts in central Europe
Gordon Feller looks at the changing coal economies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and the effect of electricity sector moves in the region
Margin notes
Brett Humphreys explains how to measure and manage margin risk, an often-overlooked – yet often-significant – risk exposure
Credit watch
Risk management and analytics firm RiskMetrics gives this month’s analysis of energy companies’ credit quality using its CreditGrades tool
Opportunity knocks for smelters
Aluminium manufacturers have long used sophisticated hedging and risk management techniques to protect against fluctuating metal prices, yet they have only recently looked at transferring these skills to power risk management. David Wilson reports
US retreat hits European trading
The retreat of US energy firms from energy trading has reportedly hit European volumes hard. But volumes aside, James Ockenden finds that the withdrawal may bring a fundamental change in the market. With additional reporting by Eurof Thomas
Climbing the competition Pole
The Polish government hopes to boost competition in the electricity market through a controversial securitisation plan that it will use to buy out long-term contracts between generators and the transmission grid operator. Maria Kielmas reports
Asian basket spreads and other exotic averaging options
Giuseppe Castellacci and Michael Siclari of OpenLink introduce a class of exotic options that simultaneously generalises both Asian and basket options. They develop approximate analytic models for real-time pricing of complex instruments that average…
Online clearing: the shape of energy markets to come
The energy trading market is moving towards a structure in which participants achieve market presence through a dedicated market network, rather than having to use local or regional exchanges, says strategic consultant Chris Cook
US energy prices: in line for a fall?
A combination of concerns in the second half of January 2003 has boosted US oil and natural gas prices to levels not seen since the winter of 2000/2001. Will the higher prices stick? Logical Information Machines examines cause and effect
Playing a waiting game
With energy – and particularly natural gas – costs on the rise, are end-users finally coming to terms with the importance of hedging or are they still waiting to get burned before they enter the hedging market? Kevin Foster reports