OTC Commodity Derivatives Platform to Launch Chinese Metals Contracts

Cleartrade Exchang Pte Ltd (CLTX) has launched five steel swaps contracts, creating the first opportunity to trade Chinese domestic steel products electronically outside of China. The launch also makes electronic trading in steel scrap derivatives possible for the first time.

With Chinese steel production now accounting for almost half of the global total, price movements in the Chinese steel and iron ore markets are attracting increasing attention of steel market players. CLTX provides the easiest way for non-Chinese companies to access China’s domestic market, using its OTC electronic global marketplace for freight and commodity derivatives.

In the past twelve months Chinese rebar prices have moved from a high of $786/tonne to a low of $634/t, while 62% Fe iron ore delivered into China has moved between $116/t and $181/t. With the cost of iron ore accounting for over 40% of finished steel prices there is a clear opportunity for steel market players to arbitrage between the two using cash-settled swaps.

Iron ore volumes have shown huge growth in recent months, with a new record of almost 8m tonnes of cleared swaps trading in May. Global steel production showed growth of almost 6% in 2011 to reach over 1.5bn tonnes, according to World Steel Dynamics, illustrating the so far untapped potential for hedging.

LME Steel Billet is trading at $375.00 .

Richard Baker, CEO of CLTX, said: “The launch of this suite of steel products underlines our commitment to helping our clients mitigate their risk using the Virtual Steel Mill. With raw materials such as iron ore and price inputs like freight already trading on our exchange, this latest initiative allows our clients to also hedge their end-product risk.”

Steven Randall, managing director of TSI, commented, “This year has seen a sea change in the market’s appetite for trading steel and scrap swaps. Cleared volumes of scrap swaps settled using TSI have hit new monthly records three times since January and we are delighted to partner with Cleartrade Exchange to enable clients to electronically trade these TSI-based derivatives.”

Isabella Kurek-Smith, director of freight & energy, LCH.Clearnet Ltd., said, “We believe that the efficiencies of clearing, coupled with margin offsets across the ferrous metal and freight complex, will further accelerate the development of Liquidity Liquidity The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent Read this Term in the global steel market. In 2010 LCH.Clearnet Ltd was the first Clearing House Clearing House A clearing house is defined as an intermediary between two parties, a buyer and seller, which helps facilitate the overall process from trade inception to settlement. Clearing houses streamline the exchange of payments, securities, or derivatives transactions.The clearing house is situated between two clearing firms who also helps reduce the risk of either member firm failing to honor their respective trade settlement obligations.Buyers and sellers enter into legally binding agreements for the e A clearing house is defined as an intermediary between two parties, a buyer and seller, which helps facilitate the overall process from trade inception to settlement. Clearing houses streamline the exchange of payments, securities, or derivatives transactions.The clearing house is situated between two clearing firms who also helps reduce the risk of either member firm failing to honor their respective trade settlement obligations.Buyers and sellers enter into legally binding agreements for the e Read this Term to list OTC steel swaps and it continues to be a pioneer in derivative clearing services.”

Steel futures contracts are traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the London Metal Exchange (LME). It is traded at NYMEX under the contract code HRC (but for the exchange’s clearing system, the code changes to HC), while the LME has a variety of contracts.