How Developing Nations Can Efficiently Use the Commodity Markets to Manage Their Risk

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

How Developing Nations Can Efficiently Use the Commodity Markets to Manage Their Risk United Nations Conference on Trade and Development MULTI-YEAR EXPERT MEETING ON COMMODITIES AND DEVELOPMENT 21-22 April 2016, Geneva How developing nations can efficiently use the commodity markets to manage their risk By Mr. Robert Fig, Head, Physical Market Sales, London Metal Exchange The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNCTAD. Recent developments and new challenges in the commodity markets: Minerals Ores and Metals Presented by Robert Fig UNCTAD 21 April 2016 – London The Ring: global reference price The home of global metals markets since 1877 with London trading routes back to 1500’s 1800’s 1950’s 1970’s 1970s 1994-2016 2016 Leadenhall Street #10 Finsbury Square 1 The LME is the leading metal exchange LME Share of exchange metal traded 2015 LME market share 100% 100% 100% 93% 92% 91% 90% 80% 74% 70% 64% 60% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% AA Al Cu NA Ni Pb Sn Zn 2 Global commodity markets are down Only Tin is up since 2007 whilst lead is flat Losses as much as 72% Nickel and 87% Baltic Dry Index 300 Index 2007=100 250 200 Tin +58% 150 Lead +2% 100 Cu -18% Oil -25% 50 Al -44% Zinc -55% Nickel -73% Baltic -87% 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Copper 3 Month ($/mt) Nickel 3 Month ($/mt) Oil ($/bbl) Zinc ($/mt) Aluminium 3 Month ($/mt) Baltic Dry Index Lead 3 Month ($/mt) Tin 3 Month ($/mt) Data as of 14th April 2016 Source: LME, Bloomberg 3 Natural resources exposure Sum of resource rents as % of GDP *additional benefits from manufacturing and equipment Chile: Copper Zambia: Copper Angola: Oil 16% 16% 33% Australia: Iron Ore South Africa: Gold, Indonesia: Palm Oil, PGM’s 7% Copper, Nickel 8% 6% Source: World Bank, 2014 data 4 A diverse marketplace Smelters Consumers Recyclers Mining Merchants Cable, tube, and Recycling companies Smelter and Mining Companies Trading Houses automotive Scrap trading Refinery Companies companies companies Protect margins Protect against Protect value of Protect value of Protect value of during smelting increasing material mining assets physical stocks metal content process costs Orders Liquidity Market Brokers Banks Investors Makers 5 Physical usage of LME Copper Identified Client Volumes by type 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Producer / Merchant / Money Manager Algo/Prop Broker Dealer / Index Other Reportables Processor / User Trader Identified Client contract volume Source: LME Research 6 Hedging community dominates the LME Nickel Positions held by the hedging community outnumber money managers 1:1.6 Money Manager Positions> Hedging Positions Hedging Positions> Money Manager Positions Average over 12 months: CME LME LME Copper Copper Nickel 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 * COTR Open Interest Ratio is for Long+Short average over one year Entities are classified at broker discretion according to the primary function of the entity. Entities may be involved in dual business 7 Continued investment: physical relevance Pricing is anchored in the physical market thanks to a wide range of deliverable brands Copper Aluminium Bulgaria, 1 France, 2 Finland, 1 Montenegro, 1 Austria, 1 Slovakia, 1 Belgium, 1 Germany, 2 Copper Aluminium Germany, 2 Greece, 1 Russia, 3 Russia, 11 Copper Aluminium Norway, 1 Iceland, 3 Kazakhstan, 1 Canada, 1 Canada, 11 Poland, 3 Netherlands, 1 USA, 8 US, 9 Spain, 1 Norway, 6 Sweden, 1 Romania, 1 Spain, 2 UK, 1 Copper Aluminium China, 13 China, 17 India, 4 India, 8 Indonesia,1 Indonesia, 1 Japan, 8 Malaysia, 2 Copper Aluminium Laos, 1 Oman, 1 Oman, 1 South Korea, 2 Egypt, 1 Myanmar, 1 Iran, 1 Philippines, 1 Copper Aluminium UAE, 2 Brazil, 2 Argentina, 1 Bahrain, 1 Mexico, 1 Brazil, 5 Qatar, 1 Chile, 22 Venezuela, 1 Saudi Arabia, 1 Peru, 3 Copper Aluminium Zambia, 2 Mozambique, 1 Copper Aluminium South Africa, 1 South Africa, 1 Australia, 2 Australia, 4 Cameroon, 1 New Zealand, 1 8 Warehouse Locations Over 650 warehouses approved by the LME - 14 countries, 35 locations & LME Shield with MOU to develop along Belt and Road routes 1. Antwerp, Belgium 10.Vlissingen, Netherlands Silk Road Economic Belt 2. Bremen, Germany 11.Barcelona, Spain Maritime Silk Road 3. Hamburg, Germany 12.Bilbao, Spain 4. Genoa, Italy 13.Helsingborg, Sweden 5. Leghorn, Italy 14.Hull, UK 6. Ravenna, Italy 15.Liverpool, UK 7. Trieste, Italy 1. Busan, South Korea 8. Moerdijk, Netherlands 2. Gwangyang, South Korea 9. Rotterdam, Netherlands 3. Incheon, South Korea 1. Nagoya, Japan 1. Baltimore, Maryland 2. Yokohama, Japan 2. Chicago, Illinois 3. Detroit, Michigan 4. Los Angeles, California 5. Mobile, Alabama 1. Kaohsiung, Taiwan 6. New Orleans, Louisiana 7. Owensboro, Kentucky 8. Panama City, Florida 9. St. Louis, Missouri 10.Toledo, Ohio 1. Dubai, UAE 1. Johor, Malaysia 2. Singapore 3. Port Klang, Malaysia 9 LME remains the market of choice Copper Open interest in tonnes 18 16 Milliontonnes 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 LME SHFE CME 10 SHFE day trading bias 5x Open interest in days of volume 4x 3x LME SHFE 2x Open interest/ADV (Q4 2015)interest/ADV Open 1x 0x Aluminium Copper Zinc Nickel * Ratios taken over average of Q4 2015 – same trend LME>SHFE is consistent throughout history. LME volumes exclude admin and member give up trades 11 LME holds further out positions LME forward curve trades out to 63 months Shanghai open interest is concentrated on one month 50 $9,500 45 40 35 $9,000 30 Thousands 25 20 LME 15 $8,500 10 5 LME Nickel LME 0 $8,000 Jul-16 Jul-17 Jul-18 Jul-19 Jul-20 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Mar-16 Mar-17 Mar-18 Mar-19 Mar-20 Mar-21 Nov-16 Nov-17 Nov-18 Nov-19 Nov-20 Sep-17 Sep-16 Sep-18 Sep-19 Sep-20 May-16 May-20 May-17 May-18 May-19 May-21 Open Interest LME Nickel 3 Month ($/mt) 450 ¥71,000 400 350 ¥70,000 300 ¥69,000 250 200 ¥68,000 Thousands 150 100 ¥67,000 SHFE Nickel SHFE 50 0 ¥66,000 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Open Interest Last Price (CNY/mt) Data as of March 16th 2016 12 SHFE Nickel launches new arbitrage market 600,000 25% 500,000 Post launch avg: 15% 20% SHFE Contract launches March 400,000 27th 15% 300,000 10% 200,000 SHFE Nickel ADV SHFE Nickel ADV (lots) LME 3 Month Select LME3 ($/mt) MonthSelect Pre launch 5% 100,000 avg: 8% 0 0% ADV SHFE Nickel (lots) LME NI %age pre 7am ** Pre 7am % is limited to 3M outright on LMESelect 13 © The London Metal Exchange (the “LME”), 2016. The London Metal Exchange logo is a registered trademark of The London Metal Exchange. All rights reserved. All information contained within this document (the “Information”) is provided for reference purposes only. While the LME endeavours to ensure the accuracy, reliability and completeness of the Information, neither the LME, nor any of its affiliates makes any warranty or representation, express or implied, or accepts any responsibility or liability for, the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the Information for any particular purpose. The LME accepts no liability whatsoever to any person for any loss or damage arising from any inaccuracy or omission in the Information or from any consequence, decision, action or non-action based on or in reliance upon the Information. All proposed products described in this document are subject to contract, which may or may not be entered into, and regulatory approval, which may or may not be given. Some proposals may also be subject to consultation and therefore may or may not be implemented or may be implemented in a modified form. Following the conclusion of a consultation, regulatory approval may or may not be given to any proposal put forward. The terms of these proposed products, should they be launched, may differ from the terms described in this document. Distribution, redistribution, reproduction, modification or transmission of the Information in whole or in part, in any form or by any means are strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of the LME. The Information does not, and is not intended to, constitute investment advice, commentary or a recommendation to make any investment decision. The LME is not acting for any person to whom it has provided the Information. Persons receiving the Information are not clients of the LME and accordingly the LME is not responsible for providing any such persons with regulatory or other protections. All persons in receipt of the Information should obtain independent investment, legal, tax and other relevant advice before making any decisions based on the Information. LME contracts may only be offered or sold to United States foreign futures and options customers by firms registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), or firms who are permitted to solicit and accept money from US futures and options customers for trading on the LME pursuant to CFTC rule 30.10. 14 .
Recommended publications
  • LME Presentation for ALFED
    LME presentation for ALFED Oscar Wehtje, Head of Product Development September 2015 Agenda • Introduction to the LME • Hedging concepts • Warehouse reforms and pricing impacts • New LME products and services – Focus on the LME Premium Aluminium contracts • Questions • Ring tour (4:30 – 5:00 pm) • Refreshments 1 Introduction to the LME 2 The London Metal Exchange LME was established in 1877 in response to industrial revolution • High metal consumption relying on imports from abroad • The need to hedge risk of price fluctuations during long shipping voyages • Shipping of Copper from Chile and Tin from Malaysia took three months to arrive in London LME was acquired by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) in December 2012 3 The London Metal Exchange New contracts have been added to the initial Copper and Tin, over the past ~100 years 1877 1920 1978 1979 1992 2002 2008 2010 2015 Copper Lead & Primary Nickel Aluminium NASAAC Steel Billet Cobalt & Aluminium & Tin Zinc Aluminium Alloy Molybdenum Premiums & Ferrous suite 4 LME Volumes • LME trading represents c. 80% of the global exchange traded base metals volume • In 2014 a total of 177.2 million lots were traded (3.5% increase vs. 2013) – $14.9 trillion notional value, or – 4 billion tonnes of metal LME trading volume, 2002 – 2014 5 Primary services of the LME 1 2 3 Pricing Hedging Delivery Terminal Market Price Convergence 6 Hedging concepts 7 Exchange – LME pricing LME prices reflect the material activities of the market Supply & Robust demand Regulated LME prices Daily Trans- Trusted parent
    [Show full text]
  • Request for Exemptive Relief
    Katten 525 W. Monroe Street Chicago, lL 60661-3693 3i2.go2.5200 tel 3iz.goz.io6i fax ARTHURW. HAHN arthur.hahn Okattenlaw.com 312.902.5241 direct 312.577.8892 fax December 24,2008 Ms. Florence E. Harmon Acting Secretary Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, NE Washington, DC 20549 Re: Request for Exemptive Relief Dear Ms. Harmon: The market for credit derivatives, and in particular, credit default swaps ("CDSs") has grown exponentially over the past decade.' As this market has grown, the need for operational improvements in the clearing and settlement process has also grown, including the need for a strong central counterparty clearinghouse for these products.2 LFFE Administration and Management ("LIFFE A&M) has developed and makes available to its members an over-the- counter ("OTC") derivatives processing service, called Bclear (referred to herein as "Bclear" or the "Bclear Service"), that will provide a mechanism for the processing and centralized clearing of CDSs based on credit default swap indices ("Index CDSS").~ The Bclear Service processes OTC transactions and submits them for clearance to LCH.Clearnet Ltd. ("LCH.Clearnet"), which stands as the central counterparty to all transactions processed through c clear.^ LIFFE A&M began processing Index CDSs through Bclear on 1 The Bank for International Settlements estimated that the notional amount of outstanding CDSs in 1998 was approximately $108 billion. By 2007, that number had grown to approximately $58 trillion. Bank for International Settlements, Press Release, The Global Derivatives Market at End-June 2001, December 20, 2001, and Bank for International Settlements Monetary and Economic Department, OTC Derivatives Market Activity in the Second Half of 2007, May 2008 2 The President's Working Group on Financial Markets included in its recommendations the need to enhance the operational infrastructure for the OTC derivatives markets.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Workshop Introduction to The
    7 June 2016 MEDIA WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION TO THE LME Trevor Spanner Chief Operating Officer Group Risk Officer Agenda 1 History, Purpose and Workings of the London Metal Exchange 2 LME Contracts and Prompt date structure 3 LME Warehousing and Reform 4 LMEshield 5 LME Liquidity Roadmap 6 Clearing 7 Conclusion 2 Agenda 1 History, Purpose and Workings of the London Metal Exchange 2 LME Contracts and Prompt date structure 3 LME Warehousing and Reform 4 LMEshield 5 LME Liquidity Roadmap 6 Clearing 7 Conclusion 3 London Metal Exchange From 1877 to today The origins of LME goes back even further… 1. Origins in The Royal Exchange, London from 1571 2. The Jerusalem Coffee House, Cornhill, London early 1800 3. The London Metals and Mining Co. 1877 (Initial metals: Copper and Tin) Originate from the need to formalise trading into one market place with: • fixed trading times • standard contracts specifications • source of price ‘discovery’ 4 The London Metal Exchange New contracts have been added to the initial Copper and Tin, over the past ~100 years 1877 1920 1978 1979 1992 2002 2008 2010 2015 Copper Lead & Primary Nickel Aluminium NASAAC Steel Billet Cobalt & Aluminium & Tin Zinc Aluminium Alloy Molybdenum Premiums & Ferrous suite Each year, the exchange reviews its contracts and looks to launch new products to meet the needs of the industry. 5 LME Volumes 2002 - 2015 In 2015, 169.6 million lots, down 4.3% from 2014, $11.9 trillion and 3.8 billion tonnes 6 LME Average Daily Turnover 670,189 lots on average per day in 2015 7 The LME is the leading
    [Show full text]
  • Gsco-Notice-On-Interest-And-Funding-Policy-Updates.Pdf
    Dear Listed Derivatives Customer, We are writing to inform you of certain changes with respect to your Listed Derivatives accounts at Goldman Sachs. We are making the following changes to align our interest policies with those of the clearinghouses where we act as an agent on your behalf. Applicable changes will be reflected in the next interest posting date in early July. We are decommissioning LDR as an interest benchmark and replacing it with more widely available benchmarks on select currencies. Please see Attachment A for a listing of the benchmarks we will be utilizing. Certain clearinghouses levy a custodial fee on securities posted to cover initial margin. Please see Attachment B (CCP Custody Fee) for applicable clearinghouses and their respective fees which will be passed through to your account. Note, we will optimize the allocation for those clients posting both cash and securities. LCH interest charges are passed through to clearing members by way of their LDR benchmark (see link: http://www.lchclearnet.com/fees/ltd/custody_services.asp). These costs vary by currency and are reflected in Attachment B (CCP Interest Alignment) as a 25bps surcharge to any LCH initial margin cash balances. Attachment A Attachment B We value and appreciate your continued business. As always, if you have any questions regarding this notice please contact your representative. Kind regards, Goldman Sachs Listed Derivatives Note: For retirement plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), this information and the attachments are provided pursuant to the disclosure requirements under Section 408(b)(2) of ERISA and supplements the document titled “Service Provider Disclosure for Goldman, Sachs & Co.
    [Show full text]
  • Metal Men Metal Men Marc Rich and the $10 Billion Scam A
    Metal Men Metal Men Marc Rich and the $10 Billion Scam A. Craig Copetas No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, scanning or any information storage retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from the Author. © Copyright 1985 by A. Craig Copetas First e-reads publication 1999 www.e-reads.com ISBN 0-7592-3859-6 for B.D. Don Erickson & Margaret Sagan Acknowledgments [ e - reads] Acknowledgments o those individual traders around the world who allowed me to con- duct deals under their supervision so that I could better grasp the trader’s life, I thank you for trusting me to handle your business Tactivities with discretion. Many of those traders who helped me most have no desire to be thanked. They were usually the most helpful. So thank you anyway. You know who you are. Among those both inside and outside the international commodity trad- ing profession who did help, my sincere gratitude goes to Robert Karl Manoff, Lee Mason, James Horwitz, Grainne James, Constance Sayre, Gerry Joe Goldstein, Christine Goldstein, David Noonan, Susan Faiola, Gary Redmore, Ellen Hume, Terry O’Neil, Calliope, Alan Flacks, Hank Fisher, Ernie Torriero, Gordon “Mr. Rhodium” Davidson, Steve Bronis, Jan Bronis, Steve Shipman, Henry Rothschild, David Tendler, John Leese, Dan Baum, Bert Rubin, Ernie Byle, Steven English and the Cobalt Cartel, Michael Buchter, Peter Marshall, Herve Kelecom, Misha, Mark Heutlinger, Bonnie Cutler, John and Galina Mariani, Bennie (Bollag) and his Jets, Fredy Haemmerli, Wil Oosterhout, Christopher Dark, Eddie de Werk, Hubert Hutton, Fred Schwartz, Ira Sloan, Frank Wolstencroft, Congressman James Santini, John Culkin, Urs Aeby, Lynn Grebstad, Intertech Resources, the Kaypro Corporation, Harper’s magazine, Cambridge Metals, Redco v Acknowledgments [ e - reads] Resources, the Swire Group, ITR International, Philipp Brothers, the Heavy Metal Kids, and .
    [Show full text]
  • Surveillance of the Commodity Markets
    Surveillance of the commoditymarkets Introduction core of the market when they sit together in the ring during the two daily sessions. Bids and offers are called out in open outcry 1 The Bank's involvement in the commodity markets arose across the ring both for actuals for cash (settlement on the next particularly from the need to develop exchange control business day) and for forward transactions up to ninetydays arrangements afterthe War to permit the reactivation of these ahead. markets which were essential to both producing and consumer Forward contracts entered into on the LME are often taken interests. It was also recognised that this business offered the to delivery, i.e. result in the physical transfer, by warrant on a opportunity for significant invisible earnings for the United specifiedwarehouse in the United Kingdom or overseas, of Kingdom. These factors have led the Bank, with their general metal of standard quality. But forward contracts are also used concernfor the financial stabilityof markets, to maintain a by producers and consumers to hedge against price general oversight of the commodity markets. This has involved fluctuations: when this happens the forwards take on the the Bank in recent years in regular surveillance both of the characteristics of'futures' contracts. Any deal done is for one or markets' operations, e.g. the performance of contracts and the more lots: one lot of copper, lead or zinc is for twenty-five monitoring of excessive, possibly destabilising, positions; and metric tonnes; one lot of tin represents fivemetric tonnes; while of the regulatory regime administered by the market for silver one lot is the equivalent of 10,000 troy ounces.
    [Show full text]
  • PROFESSOR PAUL HALLWOOD Phd Resume, Curriculum Vitae, Vita, CV March 2021
    PROFESSOR PAUL HALLWOOD PhD Resume, curriculum vitae, vita, CV March 2021 Professor, Paul Hallwood Department of Economics, University of Connecticut. Telephone: 860 304 3651. E-mail: [email protected] My longest-standing research interest is in international economics with books and papers in each of its four main fields: international trade, international finance, economics of multinational corporations, and international political economy. A more recent research interest is in the economics of the oceans, with a book and papers published on matters such as the law and economics governing paleontological finds in the US, the law and economics of historic shipwrecks, and the law and economics of maritime piracy. Before joining the faculty at the University of Connecticut Professor Hallwood was in the Department of Economics at the University of Aberdeen. He has also held the position of Senior Research Economist in the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, and as a visiting professor at Bond University in Australia, Boston University and Denison University in the US and the University of Limburg in the Netherlands. Continued…> 1 TEACHING INTERESTS Undergraduate: International Trade Principles of Microeconomics Economics of the Global Economy Principles of Macroeconomics Economics of the Oceans Intermediate Macroeconomics American Economic History Intermediate Microeconomics Money, Banking and Financial Markets International Finance Economics of Organization Graduate: International Finance PUBLICATIONS BY CATEGORY My list of publications is composed of 77 papers in refereed journals and 11 books, several of which have been reprinted and/or translated into foreign languages. These works fall into the following categories: 1. Paleontological laws 6. Oceans and environmental 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Metal Trading at the London Metal Exchange
    MÄLARDALEN UNIVERSITY Department of Mathematics and Physics (IMA) MVH12, Analytical Finance I Metal Trading at the London Metal Exchange Martin Sjöberg 780215 Table of Contents 1. The London Metal Exchange............................................................1 1.1 The History of LME.................................................................................2 2. Market Terms ...........................................................................................4 2.1 Warrants......................................................................................................4 2.2 Lot ...............................................................................................................4 2.3 Buy/Sell .......................................................................................................4 2.4 Prompt date.................................................................................................4 2.5 3-Month date ...............................................................................................5 2.6 Official prices and the second ring ..............................................................5 2.7 Forward price spreads: Contango ...............................................................5 2.8 Forward price spreads: Backwardation .......................................................6 2.9 Carries: Borrowing and Lending ..................................................................7 3. The Copper Market ...............................................................................8
    [Show full text]
  • The London Metal Exchange
    The London Metal Exchange The world’s premier non-ferrous metals market History of the LME The LME was established in 1877 as a direct result of Britain’s industrial revolution of the 19th century. This industrialisation led to the import action of enormous tonnages of metal. The merchants who sourced these materials and invested large sums of money in the ventures, found themselves exposed to high financial risk. Sea voyages were long and hazardous, and the cargo could change in value before it could be sold. A market quickly developed whereby the metal could be sold for a future date based on the vessel’s estimated arrival time. In this way the merchant was protected against a price fall and the purchaser was protected against a price rise. Over the years, the process of setting forward prices has become much more sophisticated and has been adopted by all sides of industry, using futures contracts, traded options contracts and derivatives of these, to manage risk. This is referred to as hedging and remains the main activity on the Exchange today. Contents The LME LME Contracts Managing risk for the Copper Grade A Contract 12 Global Metals Industry 01 High Grade Primary About the LME 02 Aluminium Contract 12 LME Services 04 Primary Nickel Contract 12 Regulation and Compliance 07 Special High Grade Warehousing 08 Zinc Contract 15 Clearing and Arbitration 10 Tin Contract 15 Standard Lead Contract 15 Aluminium Alloy Contract 16 North American Special Aluminium Alloy Contract (NASAAC) 16 LMEX – Base Metals Index Contract 16 The London Metal Exchange Managing Risk for the Global Metals Industry The London Metal Exchange ( LME ) occupies a unique place in the world of non-ferrous metals and is the risk management forum for this global market.
    [Show full text]
  • Cartel Detection and Collusion Screening: an Empirical Analysis of the London Metal Exchange
    Munich Personal RePEc Archive Cartel detection and collusion screening: an empirical analysis of the London Metal Exchange Samà, Danilo LUISS “Guido Carli” University, Law Economics LAB 2014 Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/103087/ MPRA Paper No. 103087, posted 30 Sep 2020 13:21 UTC Cartel Detection and Collusion Screening: An Empirical Analysis of the London Metal Exchange ∗ Danilo Sam`a† LUISS “Guido Carli” University of Rome 2014 Abstract In order to fight collusive behaviors, the best scenario for competition authorities would be the possibility to analyze detailed information on firms’ costs and prices, being the price-cost margin a robust indicator of market power. However, information on firms’ costs is rarely available. In this context, a fascinating technique to detect data manipula- tion and rigged prices is offered by an odd phenomenon called Benford’s Law, otherwise known as First-Digit Law, which has been successfully employed to discover the “Libor Scandal” much time before the opening of the cartel settlement procedure. Thus, the main objective of the present paper is to apply a such useful instrument to track the price of the aluminium traded on the London Metal Exchange, following the allegations according to which there would be an aluminium cartel behind. As a result, quick tests such as Benford’s Law can only be helpful to inspect markets where price patterns show signs of collusion. Given the budget constraints to which antitrust watchdogs are com- monly subject to, a such price screen could be set up, just exploiting the data available, as warning system to identify cases that require further investigations.
    [Show full text]
  • Submission Cover Sheet
    SUBMISSION COVER SHEET Registered Entity Identifier Code (optional) LCHLTD Date: April 15, 2013 IMPORTANT : CHECK BOX IF CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS REQUESTED. ORGANIZATION LCH.Clearnet Limited FILING AS A: DCM SEF DCO SDR ECM/SPDC TYPE OF FILING Rules and Rule Amendments Certification under § 40.6 (a) or § 41.24 (a) “Non-Material Agricultural Rule Change” under § 40.4 (b)(5) Notification under § 40.6 (d) Request for Approval under § 40.4 (a) or § 40.5 (a) Advance Notice of SIDCO Rule Change under § 40.10 (a) Products Certification under § 39.5(b), § 40.2 (a), or § 41.23 (a) Swap Class Certification under § 40.2 (d) Request for Approval under § 40.3 (a) Novel Derivative Product Notification under § 40.12 (a) RULE NUMBERS See attached Appendix A, “Rulebook Matrix RTTR” DESCRIPTION Self-certification pursuant to §40.6(a) to implement changes required to comply with Commission Regulation 39.12(b)(7) and associated conforming changes. LCH.Clearnet Rule Submission Via Electronic mail April 15, 2013 Ms. Melissa Jurgens Secretary of the Commission Commodity Futures Trading Commission Three Lafayette Centre 1155 21st Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20581 RE: Changes to LCH.Clearnet Limited’s Trade Registration process Dear Ms. Jurgens: Pursuant to §40.6(a) of the Commission Regulations, LCH.Clearnet Limited (“LCH.Clearnet”), a Derivatives Clearing Organization registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), hereby submits proposed changes to its rules pursuant to Commission Regulation §40.6. As detailed more fully below, LCH.Clearnet proposes to implement the changes to its rulebook on or before May 17, 2013 and to commence services on that basis on or before May 20, 201312.
    [Show full text]
  • The World's Industrial Metals Trading and Pricing Venue
    July 2020 RESEARCH REPORT THE LONDON METAL EXCHANGE ͘ THE WORLD'S INDUSTRIAL METALS TRADING AND PRICING VENUE CONTENTS Page Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1. History of the LME .................................................................................................................... 2 2. Who uses the LME? ................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Physical market participants ............................................................................................ 4 3. The physical market ................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 Prompt-date structure ..................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Calendar spread trading .................................................................................................. 6 4. Trading venues and pricing ...................................................................................................... 6 4.1 LME trading venues ........................................................................................................ 6 4.1.1 The Ring .............................................................................................................. 6 4.1.2 LMEselect ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]