The board of directors of the New York Mercantile Exchange hasamended plans to move up the start-up time for natural gas futurestrading because of the overlap with crude oil markets, which sharean options ring with natural gas. Daily gas futures trading nowwill commence at 9:30 a.m. rather than 9:45. The board hasscheduled expanded energy trading hours to begin with the Sept. 8trading session.

On July 13, the board voted to expand futures trading hourselectronically for its light sweet crude oil, heating oil, gasoline,and natural gas futures and options markets. It also voted to have anearlier opening for the open outcry session for natural gas futuresand options (see Daily GPI, July 14).

Beginning at 4 p.m. on Sept. 7 the Nymex Access electronictrading sessions for those commodities will be extended to run from4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, to 9 a.m. the following day. OnSundays, the session will begin at 7 p.m. and will run until 9 a.m.on Monday. Currently, the sessions for light sweet crude oil,heating oil and gasoline begin at the same times but close at 8a.m. Natural gas futures and options currently are traded from 4p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays with no Sunday nightsession.

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