After 30 odd years in this business, everything becomes cyclic. I have a sense of deja vu reading the headlines this last couple of days and while everything seems... continue reading
In a number of briefings with vendors and others recently, the middle east has come up as a topic for discussion. It seems this region has grown sharply in... continue reading
Periodically, we perform online surveys. Historically, we have used SurveyMonkey. It’s a reasonable tool with far too much generic functionality for our specific needs but nonetheless, still usable. But... continue reading
I spoke to Carl Vellenoweth, CEO of Commoditas Partners who specialise in CTRM recruitment about the current challenges hiring and attracting CTRM talent. He sees talent retention as very... continue reading
At ComTech, we are constantly reaching out to the vendors and others to ensure that we are up to date with developments. Often, these calls are reported on to... continue reading
Periodically, we are asked why there hasn’t been more consolidation in CTRM. Why are there over 100 CTRM software solutions still? (See our directory). It’s a good question because... continue reading
An item that keeps on coming up in everything from our risk survey last year to briefings with various folk around the industry is that there is a skills... continue reading
These days everything is politicised it appears to me so perhaps it’s no wonder that it seems as if commodity trading is increasingly about politics and not so much... continue reading
2022 turned out to be quite the year for commodities. Volatilities and prices surged in many commodities and trading firms made good profits by and large as the hedge... continue reading
With a big sigh of relief on my part and after literally hours and hours of spreadsheet analysis and graph making, the 2022 VPS report is drafted and gone... continue reading
Imagine being a salesperson for a CTRM vendor right now. The holidays are coming and so is year end (calendar and for many – financial). There are two things... continue reading
According to a Bloomberg story, hedge funds in commodities are back and making money. My interest in hedge funds commenced back around 19-years ago when Peter Fusaro and I... continue reading
And therefore time to roll out my annual thoughts on the banality of awards when it comes to CTRM software…. For those who do not know, some awards are... continue reading
As I reflect on what appears to have been a record year for many CTRM vendors in terms of activity levels and new deals and customers, one thing has... continue reading
The history of CTRM is replete with brand names that came and went. In fact, I could likely name at least 30 right now off the top of my... continue reading
Orchestrade has been around since 2009 and today has more than 40 customers and around 100 staff. In 2017, it began a collaboration with Engie after a successful Proof... continue reading
As a new week begins, the pace of commodities-focused news appears to have slowed considerably with all eyes now on a midweek announcement from the Fed. A large rise... continue reading
As an CTRM market analyst, I must stay on top of the news every day, reviewing and analyzing developments that impact the commodity trading sector and the buyers of... continue reading
Looking back over the last 5 to 10 years of activity in the ETRM / CTRM markets in North America, there’s been a clear pattern – natural gas and... continue reading
A few months ago, we wrote a blog arguing that despite everything, coal was set to make a comeback – at least in the short to medium term. We... continue reading
Conversations with Gen10 CEO, Richard Williamson, are always fun and informative as I find Richard to be one of the industry’s true innovators. Always one step ahead of the... continue reading