Archive for the ‘IssueAlert’ Category

The New Risk Management – Data Management?

September 2nd, 2010 Gary Vasey

These days, risk management is high on most trading firms’ agendas. That is risk management in both the broadest and narrowest sense. Increased oversight, regulation and both the rapid evolution and increasing speed of markets is driving this need. In a climate of price volatility, volumetric uncertainty, innovation in deal structures, changing regulations and globalization, effective risk management and the ability to respond to valuation challenges and portfolio optimization opportunities are pre-requisites to profitability for organizations that deal in commodities.

Risk Management Problems

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European Energy’s Annual Essen Get Together

February 11th, 2010 Gary Vasey

Prior to the collapse of the Merchant energy segment, the North American Trading and Risk Management tradeshow was a vibrant and well attended event but in recent years many of the big tradeshows in that industry space have died off or died out altogether. But not here in Europe! E-World Energy and Water held every year in Essen, Germany has over 500 exhibitors ranging across the industry from large energy companies such as RWE, Vattenfall, CEZ, and the like to small software vendors and data providers. The coverage of the show is both trading & risk management and inside the Utility so covers smart metering, smart grid, CIS and more. Furthermore, the event was absolutely packed.

I have mixed feelings about tradeshows. On the one hand it presents a super opportunity to learn more about industry trends and events as well as to meet new contacts and old friends but it is also tiring and hard on the feet and back. For me however, E-World provided a snapshot of the European energy world and how it has changed! You just need take a look at some of the tag lines used by some of the energy companies to realize this:

This is a preview of European Energy’s Annual Essen Get Together. Read the full post (579 words, 4 images, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)
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Goodbye Copenhagen-Hello Mexico City

December 29th, 2009 Gary Vasey

COP15 (the United Nations climate talks) in Copenhagen came to a close on December 18 after a tumultuous two weeks in which emotions and expectations rose and fell on a daily basis. In the end, COP15 produced a relatively weak political agreement that committed to keep global warming at 2°C or less and promised $30 billion in funding to battle climate change by 2012. It also created a framework for international transparency on climate actions for both developed and developing nations. The deal allows each country to attach their national actions and mechanisms for combating climate change and to then provide information on those actions. The accord is not legally binding.

While COP15 probably fell short of expectations, some of the high-minded agenda items, such as a proposal to create an international body for monitoring national commitments having the power to penalize those not meeting their targets, were always going to prove a tricky issue. As was the idea of essentially making developed countries pay ”reparations” to the developing world for their CO2 emissions to date. In reality, the deal still has to be ratified by the broader United Nations (UN) and that may not prove easy either.

This is a preview of Goodbye Copenhagen-Hello Mexico City. Read the full post (699 words, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)
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Emissions Software-Are We Ready?

December 22nd, 2009 Gary Vasey

Greenhouse gas emissions have been receiving a lot of attention recently. Last week, President Barack Obama traveled to the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and pledged a 17 percent reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Meanwhile, other initiatives have taken place both within the US and in other regions of the world. At this time, despite continued uncertainties, we may well stand on the precipice of an era in which carbon becomes a globally traded commodity and in which companies, particularly energy companies, are forced to monitor, track, report and reduce their GHG and other emissions.

Against this regulatory and legislative background, two software categories stand to benefit as companies seek to capture their carbon footprint, report on their emissions and trade various instruments to manage their emissions profile and allowances or simply profit from speculative trading in those instruments. Those two software categories are CTRM software for emissions and emissions monitoring software.

This is a preview of Emissions Software-Are We Ready?. Read the full post (885 words, estimated 3:32 mins reading time)
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COP15—To Be or Not to Be? That is the Question

December 22nd, 2009 Gary Vasey

As many of the world’s leaders arrive in Copenhagen to try to seal a climate deal, the signals emerging regarding progress from COP15 are mixed. Yesterday, the negotiating process was subject to an “unexpected stop,” according to Yvo de Boer, the United Nation’s top climate official and it has indeed been a week of stops and starts as even on Monday, informal talks between the COP15 presidency and developing countries ended a daylong boycott of negotiations, which was apparently caused by controversy over the Kyoto Protocol. There has also been much public talk by those involved of “posturing” and “placing blame on others.” On the other hand, the Danish hosts are said to be preparing a new compromise draft and many of the countries involved have already brought forward substantive voluntary commitments to the table including, for example, Japan’s offer of a total of 15 billion U.S. dollars for climate aid for developing countries through 2012.

The Issues

This is a preview of COP15—To Be or Not to Be? That is the Question. Read the full post (775 words, estimated 3:06 mins reading time)
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COP15—Is it Based on Science or Politics?

December 22nd, 2009 Gary Vasey

“Climategate”

One thing that the recent “Climategate” episode may have done is to rightly focus more attention on the science that is really the driving force behind the COP15 meeting currently taking place in Copenhagen. Reading through the hacked e-mails published on various blog sites, it becomes obvious very quickly that the rigor and pure approach of science has been totally overwhelmed and compromised by politics and money.

Science should work on the basis of an open, free debate and a fair peer review process. If that is stifled then what we have is neither science nor reliable. What these e-mails show can be summarized as follows:

This is a preview of COP15—Is it Based on Science or Politics?. Read the full post (1170 words, estimated 4:41 mins reading time)
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Live from “Hopenhagen”

December 22nd, 2009 Gary Vasey

Arriving in Copenhagen the first thing you notice is how clean, modern and well-organized the city is. Well-served by an efficient public transport system, the bicycle is a favored means of transport and almost all main roads have wide bicycle lanes. Climate Change Conference delegates are offered bicycle rentals for free and have been quick on the uptake.

A City on a Mission

This is a preview of Live from “Hopenhagen”. Read the full post (743 words, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)
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