Finance

Commodity Trade Flouts Broader Exchange Trade Decline

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Trade in derivatives has been one of the most controversial activities in finance since the opacity around those markets was held by observers to blame for the scale and depth of the financial crisis of 2008. One of the key solutions recommended by regulators was to move trade in contracts onto exchanges, where they could be monitored more closely.

That effort showed early signs of success as the more-liquid contracts moved online but efforts to make exchange trading the default have faltered and – for many types of derivatives – actually reversed. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 13, 2013 at 1:28 PM

Chevron Highlights Aggressive Upstream Plans, Downstream Restructuring to Wall Street

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At its annual securities analyst day held today in New York City, Chevron touted its upstream growth strategy, which includes some of the world’s largest energy projects, and the success of its downstream reorganization.

The company reported $26 billion in total 2012 earnings and detailed its $36.7 billion 2013 capital spending program, 42% of which will be deployed in the Asia Pacific region. A majority of Chevron’s 2013 capital expenditure – 69% – will be focused on 3 major business segments: Upstream base projects, LNG and deepwater. Keep Reading →

 /  Published March 12, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Emerging Markets: Opportunities for Energy Innovation

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In the last 20 years, energy innovation has become a global process in terms of education, finance, technology, and markets. At the 2013 MIT Energy Conference a panel of experts discussed pros and cons of innovative energy solutions in emerging markets.

Emerging markets provide attractive opportunities for innovative energy systems. The competitive advantage of renewable over traditional energy sources is greater than in developed countries. However, socio-economic, cultural, and policy issues might interfere with the innovation process in these countries. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 6, 2013 at 4:15 PM

Green Investing Update

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“No more Solyndras!” may make the headlines but money is continuing to be deployed in the green energy sector each year. It is a global phenomenon. According to an analytical service, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the first trillion dollars was invested at the end of 2011 and the next trillion will be invested in five years. This is occurring because renewable energy technologies and clean energy are beginning to scale globally, due to cost reductions and wider deployments. Added to this reality is the phenomena of impact investing as younger people with money are more engaged in clean energy solutions. This factor is significant, with 52% of the world’s population being under 30 and generational wealth being transferred to the young.

Another factor in this rising green financial milieu is the nascent impact of crowd funding. Solar Mosaic, a photovoltaic solar play in New York and California, was able to raise $1.1 million in one day for several projects in multifamily housing. The projects are expected to generate 4.5% returns for many years. More capital will be flowing into US clean energy as community solar takes off and smaller investors, who are not accredited at $ 1million in net worth, begin deploying their capital in this sector. It is the law of large numbers and it is opening a flood gate
in innovative financing. The SEC has yet to write the rules of the game in this emerging arena catalyzed by the Jobs Act. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 6, 2013 at 12:10 PM

Pace of Transmission Investment Soars at Private Utilities

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Shareholder owned utilities are set to invest more than $1 billion each month in transmission projects in the US in 2013, with a planned total of $15.1 billion this year up from already-impressive $11 billion in total in 2011.

Transmission infrastructure shortfalls have been widely forecast for the entire US power sector, which last saw comprehensive buildouts decades ago. Since then, successive attempts to reform power markets have often been blamed for failing to create sufficient incentives for companies to invest in new needed power line upgrades. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 5, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Peak Oil No More? Bankers Prepare For a World of Energy Abundance

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If the sky isn’t falling when it comes to energy availability, what does that mean for your portfolio?

After years of forecasts – part of a long tradition – that oil supplies were close to running out with the potential for immense supply shocks for the global economy, Wall Street analysts are beginning to build a new consensus around the potential for an unexpected and still-emerging demand-side shock. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 1, 2013 at 9:00 AM

Sempra Profits Higher, Gas Export Terminal Promise Cited

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Sempra Energy reported a slightly higher fourth-quarter profit Tuesday and said its proposed Louisiana gas-export terminal would boost future growth and profits. Sempra predicted a 2013 adjusted profit of between $4.30 and $4.80 a share, compared with $4.35 a share in 2012 and analysts’ estimates of $4.41 a share. The company’s 2012 profit using generally accepted accounting principles was $3.48 a share. Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/02/26/sempra-energy-posts-higher-4th-quarter-profit-plans-gas-export-plant/#ixzz2MCVvVZ7i

 /  Published February 28, 2013 at 8:35 AM

PwC Notes New Trends in Sustainable Investing and Operations

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What gets measured gets managed is one of the truisms of the contemporary business environment, particularly as tools for collecting and analyzing data continue to proliferate across sectors. And as more companies include “sustainability metrics” in their self-measurement tools, the sector is seeing increased management and investor attention.

Major service providers, like the global accounting and consulting firm PwC, are seeing the change on the ground at firms and rushing to guarantee they are able to help their clients manage the newly visible risks and opportunities that come with these novel and increasingly detailed data sets. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 27, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Pro: Why It’s Time to Get Into Nat Gas

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Natural gas has been trading in a serious downtrend starting in November, but Monday’s upside action constituted a clear breakout from that trend.

So what’s behind the strength? Keep reading →

 /  Published February 26, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Chesapeake’s JV Deal with Sinopec ‘Looks a Little Light’

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Analysts mostly agree that Chesapeake Energy received a relatively low price for the Mississippi Lime acreage it agreed to sell to China’s Sinopec for $1.02 billion. What is less clear though, is whether the price Chesapeake received reflects the company’s position as a distressed seller, or the quality of the assets sold. The Mississippi Lime is a shale play extending from northern Oklahoma into central Kansas.

“From my perspective, the proceeds looked a bit light on a per acre basis as well as per barrel of oil equivalent on a proved reserve basis,” Phil Weiss, Senior Analyst covering energy for Argus Research recently told Breaking Energy in an email. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 26, 2013 at 1:00 PM
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