Speculative Investment in Energy Markets


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Valuation, Hedging and Speculation in Competitive Electricity Markets


Book Description

The challenges currently facing particIpants m competitive electricity markets are unique and staggering: unprecedented price volatility, a crippling lack of historical market data on which to test new modeling approaches, and a continuously changing regulatory structure. Meeting these challenges will require the knowledge and experience of both the engineering and finance communities. Yet the two communities continue to largely ignore each other. The finance community believes that engineering models are too detailed and complex to be practically applicable in the fast changing market environment. Engineers counter that the finance models are merely statistical regressions, lacking the necessary structure to capture the true dynamic properties of complex power systems. While both views have merit, neither group has by themselves been able to produce effective tools for meeting industry challenges. The goal of this book is to convey the fundamental differences between electricity and other traded commodities, and the impact these differences have on valuation, hedging and operational decisions made by market participants. The optimization problems associated with these decisions are formulated in the context of the market realities of today's power industry, including a lack of liquidity on forward and options markets, limited availability of historical data, and constantly changing regulatory structures.




Energy Markets


Book Description

Price Risk Management and Trading. Energy risk management expert, Tom James, does it again. His latest book is a timely addition to the rapidly developing energy trading markets. This book should be on every energy trader, risk manager and corporate planer's desk. it is an easy read as Tom goes into great detail to explain the intricacies of this market and its various unique elements. - Peter C. Fusaro, Chairman, Global Change Associates Inc., Best-selling Author and Energy Expert This sensible and practical guide is essential for those seeking an understanding of commerce in energy derivatives. beyond merely informative, this hand book for the practitioner details the finer points of the use of derivatives as tools for price-risk management. No energy trading desk should be without it. - Ethan L. Cohen, Senior Director, Utility and Energy Technology, UtiliPoint International Inc. Energy markets are much more volatile than other commodity markets, so risk mitigation is more of a concern. Energy prices, for example, can be affected by weather, geopo9litical turmoil, changes in tax and legal systems, OPEC decisions, analysis' reports, transportation issues, and supply and demand - to name just a few factors. Tom James's book is a practical guide to assessing and managing these risks. It is a must-read for senior management as well as risk and financial professionals.- Don Stowers, Editor, Oil & Gas Financial Journal This book is the most comprehensive on price risk management-centric efforts. It provides the reader with a tangible experience of derivatives in today's capital and energy markets. The breadth and scope of the passages are immense, in that both developed and developing countries' energy markets are considered and examples applied. Terrific read! - Rashpal Bhatti, Marketing Manager, Energy Trading Asia, Enron/BHP Billiton Tom James has simplified the intricacies of a very complex market. In this new market of "hot" commodities, he has been able to give a fresh course to those who are new to the energy markets and a solid review for those that are well seasoned. he covers everything within the oil market from A to Z in this book and does it well. Coming from a financial background myself, it's good to finally find a book that can bring a better understanding to the field of energy commodities. - Carl Larry, Vice President Citi Energy Global Commodities




The Art Of Speculation


Book Description

Philip L. Carret (1896-1998) was a famed investor and founder of The Pioneer Fund (Fidelity Mutual Trust), one of the first Mutual Funds in the United States. A former Barron’s reporter and WWI aviator, Carret launched the Mutual Trust in 1928 after managing money for his friends and family. The initial effort evolved into Pioneer Investments. He ran the fund for 55 years, during which an investment of $10,000 became $8 million. Warren Buffett said of him that he had “the best long term investment record of anyone I know” He is most famous for the long successful track record he achieved investing in Common Stocks and for being one of Warren Buffett’s role models. This book comprises a series of articles written for Barron’s and published in book form in 1930.—Print Ed.




Law Enforcement and the History of Financial Market Manipulation


Book Description

First Published in 2014. This book maps the issues and traces the U.S. government's efforts to properly regulate, monitor, and prevent financial speculation and price manipulation in various markets. It begins with the period from the late nineteenth century to the first congressional efforts at regulation in the 1930s and continues on to the present, with a full chapter on the legal and financial aspects of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The book also discusses the difficulty of initiating successful prosecutions of financial fraud and price manipulation and proposes a new approach to preventing manipulative practices.




Energy Trading and Risk Management


Book Description

A comprehensive overview of trading and risk management in the energy markets Energy Trading and Risk Management provides a comprehensive overview of global energy markets from one of the foremost authorities on energy derivatives and quantitative finance. With an approachable writing style, Iris Mack breaks down the three primary applications for energy derivatives markets – Risk Management, Speculation, and Investment Portfolio Diversification – in a way that hedge fund traders, consultants, and energy market participants can apply in their day to day trading activities. Moving from the fundamentals of energy markets through simple and complex derivatives trading, hedging strategies, and industry-specific case studies, Dr. Mack walks readers through energy trading and risk management concepts at an instructive pace, supporting her explanations with real-world examples, illustrations, charts, and precise definitions of important and often-misunderstood terms. From stochastic pricing models for exotic derivatives, to modern portfolio theory (MPT), energy portfolio management (EPM), to case studies dealing specifically with risk management challenges unique to wind and hydro-electric power, the bookguides readers through the complex world of energy trading and risk management to help investors, executives, and energy professionals ensure profitability and optimal risk mitigation in every market climate. Energy Trading and Risk Management is a great resource to help grapple with the very interesting but oftentimes complex issues that arise in energy trading and risk management.







Speculation in the Crude Oil Market


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The Clash of the Cultures


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Recommended Reading by Warren Buffet in his March 2013 Letter to Shareholders How speculation has come to dominate investment—a hard-hitting look from the creator of the first index fund. Over the course of his sixty-year career in the mutual fund industry, Vanguard Group founder John C. Bogle has witnessed a massive shift in the culture of the financial sector. The prudent, value-adding culture of long-term investment has been crowded out by an aggressive, value-destroying culture of short-term speculation. Mr. Bogle has not been merely an eye-witness to these changes, but one of the financial sector’s most active participants. In The Clash of the Cultures, he urges a return to the common sense principles of long-term investing. Provocative and refreshingly candid, this book discusses Mr. Bogle's views on the changing culture in the mutual fund industry, how speculation has invaded our national retirement system, the failure of our institutional money managers to effectively participate in corporate governance, and the need for a federal standard of fiduciary duty. Mr. Bogle recounts the history of the index mutual fund, how he created it, and how exchange-traded index funds have altered its original concept of long-term investing. He also presents a first-hand history of Wellington Fund, a real-world case study on the success of investment and the failure of speculation. The book concludes with ten simple rules that will help investors meet their financial goals. Here, he presents a common sense strategy that "may not be the best strategy ever devised. But the number of strategies that are worse is infinite." The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation completes the trilogy of best-selling books, beginning with Bogle on Investing: The First 50 Years (2001) and Don't Count on It! (2011)




Excessive Speculation in the Natural Gas Market


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