The New York Mercantile Exchange Inc. (Nymex) and energy consultancy OilAnalytics on Thursday announced the launch of Nymex Direct Analytics, a service that the companies expect will enable energy professionals to access key supply and demand data that drives global energy pricing through the Nymex website. Nymex also announced this week that it plans to launch electronic energy and metals options this summer.

Nymex Direct Analytics was set up to provide traders and analysts with “comprehensive analysis” of supply, demand and pricing data for the energy industry, the companies said, adding that energy professionals using tools that have been developed over the last 20 years can use the service to understand energy price direction and volatility as a function of fundamental supply and demand information.

Available as separate packages, Nymex said Oil Analytics and Natural Gas Analytics include more than 500 separate tables and charts covering supply, demand and futures prices. In addition to the data, the service offers comparative analysis on stocks versus prices, inventory forecasts and spread prices.

“OilAnalytics is a natural partner for Nymex,” said Nymex CEO James E. Newsome. “The services they provide give energy traders quick and easy access to the fundamental data that impacts energy market prices.”

Joel Fingerman, CEO of OilAnalytics, said, “OilAnalytics contains a large amount of data on supply and demand history, Nymex price history, and relationships between supply and demand variables and price. Quite simply, this vast data source of frequently updated information is a ‘one-stop shop’ for analysts and traders looking for fundamental supply and demand information and its impact on prices.”

Fingerman noted that when the weekly Department of Energy data of oil industry supply and demand are released at 10:30 am EST on Wednesday mornings, “within minutes every chart and table is fully updated and available on the site.”

In other news, Nymex announced that it will offer options trading for crude oil, natural gas, gold, and silver on the CME Globex electronic trading platform beginning on June 24 for trade date June 25. The company noted that no expiring options will be accepted for trading after the close of open outcry trading on the day of expiration.

The options will be available for trading on CME Globex from 6 p.m. EDT Sundays through 5:15 p.m. EDT on Fridays, with a 45-minute break between 5:15 p.m. and 6 p.m.

For crude oil options, expiration months will include the balance of the current year and next consecutive year, with additional June/December months through 2015. Natural gas options contracts will be available for 24 consecutive months. For more details on other contracts, visit www.nymex.com.

Nymex also announced that its shareholders reelected Richard Schaeffer as chairman and Robert Halper as vice chairman during the company’s annual meeting Thursday.

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