The CME Group, which holds a dominant position facilitating US futures trading in everything from interest rates to energy, recently increased its transaction fees for the first time in 4 years. The CME Group says the fee increases are necessary to fund additional resources and technology driven by electronic trading growth, but some claim the company… Keep reading →
The possibility of a rapprochement in nuclear talks between the US and Iran – though they did not produce a deal – had fueled a degree of oil market optimism about Iran’s reinstatement as a global oil supplier. But even if negotiations had proved successful, political and logistical hurdles would likely have stalled any significant return… Keep reading →
The exact circumstances surrounding the kidnapping – and subsequent release – of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan by an anti-crime unit in Tripoli last night aren’t totally clear. But as short-lived as the event proved to be, it had a big impact on oil markets. “The oil market was reminded overnight that the geopolitical risk… Keep reading →
Though it’s not easy to quantify exactly how much the recent US oil & gas production boom contributes to GDP growth, the CME Group’s Chief Economist Blu Putnam gives it a go. Read an exclusive Breaking Energy interview with Blu Putnam here. Since 2005 US oil production increased 29% and natural gas output rose 33%,… Keep reading →
A high frequency energy trading firm is being charged by federal regulators Monday with manipulating markets through “spoofing,” an increasingly frequent scheme in which false bids are submitted and then pulled back, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission said. The civil action against Panther Energy Trading of Red Bank, N.J., and owner Michael J. Coscia, is… Keep reading →
Prices for natural gas are headed lower after a hot summer showed signs of the first boost in pricing for the fuel on which the US energy sector is increasingly relying.
With the approaching end of the cooling season and continued strong supply from domestic gas producers, prices are likely to revert to their earlier trading range between $2 and $3 per million BTU, predicted Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy and Economic Research, a Massachusetts consultancy. Keep reading →
Rapidly expanding production of oil and natural gas from shales in the US, Canada and Mexico have the potential to allow the continent to declare virtual “energy independence” and thereby alter the global politics of energy, CME Group Managing Director and Chief Economist Blu Putnam told Breaking Energy in this video interview.
This interview is the final in a series of four, for the earlier videos on the economic outlook, handling big data and the outlook for energy infrastructure, click here. Keep reading →
“Why can’t we just…” is often the question energy industry leaders face when dealing with questions about the current state of the energy business. “Why can’t we just build all renewable energy?” or “Why can’t we just switch over to electric vehicles?”
The answer is usually – at least in large part – infrastructure. Keep reading →
Citic, CLSA, CNOOC, Nexen, Sinopec and Talisman: China’s Multi-Billion Dollar Week in the Energy Markets
By Peter GardettThe bureaucrats in Beijing and the businessmen in Shanghai have been busy in recent weeks, negotiating a series of headline deals that sync into broader themes of Chinese access to global energy and commodities markets.
Bankers at Wall Street and City of London banks have spent much of the past week telling financial reporters that the impending sale of the remaining 80% of the Asian arm of French bank Credit Agricole represented an old finance industry meme: an out-of-towner overpaying for access to the premier league of global banking. Keep reading →