Market trends

Over the last three years there have been significant changes within the energy industry, this has been caused by an increase in demand in both developed and emerging markets, events such as tensions in the Middle East, Africa and South America, storms in the Gulf of Mexico plus major structural changes with the addition of new instruments, exchanges and the availability of electronically-traded funds (ETF's). Almost every Investment Bank has re-entered into Energy trading and there over 500 Hedge Funds that are now involved in energy investments. We have found an increase in demand for expertise in the following areas:

Natural Gas

Natural gas trading organizations in the last few years have increased their emphasis on asset-backed physical trading strategies to increase profitability. With this increasing emphasis on physical trading come the complexities of taking possession of gas commodities, managing inventories and moving them to final sales points.

Biofuels

Investments in biofuel technology and production are soaring in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Whether derived from corn, sugarcane, soybean, vegetable oils, wheat crops or other sources, renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are capturing the attention of major governments, leading agriculture and chemical companies, major energy producers and global financial institutions.

Agriculture

An increase in the use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline has had a ripple effect on agricultural commodities where farmers are planting more corn at the expense of other crops - this has resulted in the higher prices for wheat and beans.

Emissions

A growing covern over climate change and pollutants has resulted in the creation of the emissions markets for CO2 and other gases.