NYMEX and Multi Commodity Exchange of India Sign Licensing Agreement

Global energy contracts now available on Indian platform

NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York
Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX), and the Multi Commodity Exchange of
India Limited (MCX) announced today that they have signed a five-year
licensing agreement for the use of NYMEX energy futures settlement prices.
In addition to the current MCX rupee-denominated, financially settled
light sweet crude oil futures contract, which is one-tenth of the size of
the NYMEX light sweet crude oil futures contract, the new licensing
agreement includes rupee-denominated natural gas, heating oil, and gasoline
futures contracts that MCX plans to launch. These new contracts will be
financially settled by MCX based on the settlement prices for the
corresponding physically settled NYMEX futures contracts and one-tenth of
the size of the NYMEX contracts. The agreement also anticipates the launch
of additional rupee-denominated contracts in RBOB gasoline and propane
futures.
Celebrating the agreement, India's Union Minister of Agriculture,
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Sharad Pawar, marked the
commencement of trading with the traditional ringing of the opening bell at
NYMEX in New York.
In October 2005, NYMEX and MCX signed a memorandum of understanding
that allows MCX to use NYMEX settlement prices for its light sweet crude
futures contract.
James E. Newsome, NYMEX President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
"This agreement with MCX will provide a benchmark price reference for risk
management to the Indian energy sector, a significant user of such products
from the global standpoint, while also optimizing the cost of such risk
management."
Venkat Chary, Chairman of the MCX, added, "Producers, users and
investors in India can take benefit from access to globally aligned prices
and trading practices in such energy products. We proudly bring these
products to the Indian industry."
Jignesh Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MCX
said, "MCX will leverage its pan-India presence, and its member and client
network spread across the country, to offer mini-NYMEX energy contracts to
a range of stakeholders in the industry. It will also facilitate the price
discovery of these products in the Indian time zone based on local
fundamentals."
About the New York Mercantile Exchange:
The New York Mercantile Exchange is the largest physical commodity
exchange in the world, offering futures and options trading in energy and
metals contracts and clearing services for off-exchange energy
transactions. Through a combination of open outcry floor trading and
electronic trading, a wide range of crude oil, petroleum product, natural
gas, coal, electricity, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and platinum group
metals markets are available virtually 24 hours each day.
About Multi Commodity Exchange:
MCX is an independent and de-mutualised exchange with permanent
recognition from the Government of India to facilitate nationwide online
trading, clearing and settlement operations for the commodities futures
market. MCX is the world's second largest silver exchange and third largest
gold exchange in terms of trading volume among the top ten commodities
derivatives exchanges in the world. MCX offers futures trading across a
range of market segments including bullion, energy, ferrous and non-ferrous
metals, agricultural and industrial products. Promoted by Financial
Technologies (India) Ltd. a provider of transaction automation
technologies, the key shareholders of MCX include State Bank of India
(India's largest commercial bank) and its subsidiaries, National Stock
Exchange (NSE), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD), and several other Indian banks.
Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to
our future performance, operating results, strategy, and other future
events. Such statements generally include words such as could, can,
anticipate, believe, expect, seek, pursue, and similar words and terms, in
connection with any discussion of future results. Forward-looking
statements involve a number of assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, any
of which may cause actual results to differ materially from the
anticipated, estimated, or projected results referenced in forward-looking
statements. In particular, the forward-looking statements of NYMEX
Holdings, Inc., and its subsidiaries are subject to the following risks and
uncertainties: the success and timing of new futures contracts and
products; changes in political, economic, or industry conditions; the
unfavorable resolution of material legal proceedings; the impact and timing
of technological changes and the adequacy of intellectual property
protection; the impact of legislative and regulatory actions, including
without limitation, actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
and terrorist activities and international hostilities, which may affect
the general economy as well as oil and other commodity markets. We assume
no obligation to update or supplement our forward-looking statements.

source

Does keeping the penny still make sense?

It's all about the price of Zinc and Copper

By J. Scott Orr

Newhouse News Service

WASHINGTON — They accumulate everywhere, multiplying faster than bunnies, it seems, in pockets, purses and dresser-top jars. And you can't buy much with them.

So why doesn't the United States get rid of the penny, especially now, when, for the first time, the copper-coated coins cost the government more than 1 cent each to make?

At least one bill has been introduced in Congress to retire the coin, but it never gained traction. And the bottom line may be that when it comes to the penny, Americans don't want change.

"Americans want to keep the penny, it's that simple," said Matthew Eggers, policy director of Americans for Common Cents, which is fighting to keep the coin in circulation.

The most recent survey — conducted last year by Coinstar, a Bellevue company that puts coin-counting machines in supermarkets and other locations — found 66 percent of Americans want to keep the penny. It also found 79 percent will stop to pick up a penny.

But the penny's detractors have been buoyed by new figures from the U.S. Mint that show the skyrocketing prices of the two metals used to make the penny — zinc and copper — have pushed the cost of making the coin across the 1-cent threshold for the first time, to 1.23 cents. The penny is 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper, according to the mint... -source

Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodities Indices Optimum Yield (DBLCI-OY)

Interesting development for commodity Investors and traders:

Deutsche issues flexible commodity index products

LONDON (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank said on Friday it was launching a new set of commodity index products, which will improve yields in passive, long-only instruments.

The Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodities Yield Indices Optimum Yield (DBLCI-OY) would improve on the traditional method of commodity indices where futures contracts roll on a pre-defined schedule, the bank said in its weekly report.

"The DBCLI-OY indices are designed so that rather than selecting the futures contract on a pre-defined schedule they roll into the futures contract that either maximises the positive yield roll in backwardated term structures or minimises the negative roll yield in contangoed markets," it said.

The Dow Jones-AIG, the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index and its own Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index (DBLCI) have contracts which are rolled monthly, but the shifting pattern in commodity structures over the past few years has led to the creation of the new index, it added.

In a contango market, cash prices are cheaper than forward values, reflecting storage and insurance costs for future delivery. A backwardation is the opposite -- cash is dearer than the forward position, reflecting nearby shortages.

Metals, such as copper and zinc, recently at record highs, have established backwardation price structures stretching out five years in some instances. -source