Natural Gas

CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced it had reached five consecutive daily open interest records for its benchmark Henry Hub Natural Gas futures contract. These contracts are listed by and subject to the rules of NYMEX. 

Nodal Exchange, LLC and LCH.Clearnet Ltd (LCH.Clearnet) are to offer trading and clearing for a Henry Hub natural gas contract.

The contract, which will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2010, will allow Nodal Exchange participants to enhance capital efficiency by cross-margining their power and natural gas portfolios using VaR margining. The Henry Hub natural gas contract will be available through Nodal Exchange’s cleared over-the-counter (OTC) trade platform.

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), a leading operator of global regulated futures exchanges, clearing houses and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, today announced that on 15 March 2010, ICE Futures Europe will launch a new natural gas futures contract based on the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) in the Netherlands. The Dutch TTF Natural Gas futures contract will trade alongside ICE's U.K. NBP Natural Gas futures contract, bringing together two of the most liquid European gas hubs on a single, globally distributed platform for the first time.