Volatility

San Diego-based Sempra Energy is betting that energy price volatility will remain, making its growing energy trading business even more profitable. Commodities profits ($504 million) and several hundred million dollars more than expected in asset sales gains last year more than offset earnings decreases among its utility and merchant generation businesses, Sempra CEO Don Felsinger told financial analysts on a conference call Thursday.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy is betting that energy price volatility will remain, making its growing energy trading business even more profitable. Commodities profits ($504 million) and several hundred million dollars more than expected in asset sales gains last year more than offset earnings decreases among its utility and merchant generation businesses, Sempra CEO Don Felsinger told financial analysts on a conference call Thursday.

Exploration and production (E&P) companies appear ready to face natural gas price volatility this year, with average producers hedging about one-third of their gas at $7-8/Mcf, with “room for upside” should the energy markets improve, a trio of Raymond James & Associates Inc. energy analysts said last week.

Many exploration and production (E&P) companies appear ready to face natural gas price volatility this year, with average producers hedging about one-third of their gas at $7-8/Mcf, with “room for upside” should the energy markets improve, a trio of Raymond James & Associates Inc. energy analysts said in a new “Stat of the Week.”

Increased organic capital spending, greater commodity price volatility, changing ownership structures and developing regulatory policy are expected to continue to have an impact on credit ratings in the midstream energy sector for the remainder of 2006 and into 2007, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said Thursday in a new industry “report card.”

Increased organic capital spending, greater commodity price volatility, changing ownership structures and developing regulatory policy are expected to continue to have an impact on credit ratings in the midstream energy sector for the remainder of 2006 and into 2007, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said Thursday in a new industry “report card.”

Volatility in commodity prices hasn’t stopped acquisitive-minded producers from paying top dollar to buy companies and build reserves in the past year. And even with the recent pullback in prices, energy analysts don’t expect to see a slowdown in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) anytime soon.

Volatility in commodity prices hasn’t stopped acquisitive-minded producers from paying top dollar to buy companies and build reserves in the past year. And even with the recent pullback in prices, energy analysts don’t expect to see a slowdown in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) anytime soon.

It appears that the recent volatility in natural gas markets has undercut its second hedge fund in as many months as reports on Greenwich, CT-based Amaranth Advisors LLC, which has $7.5 billion in assets under management, said year-to-date losses might exceed 35% (more than $2.625 billion) due to last week’s plunge in natural gas prices.