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View Full Version : Brokerage owner 'artificially' breaks psychological $100/barrel Oil price ceiling, making way for today's 'real' trading over $100


Dad
01-03-2008, 11:27 AM
Yesterday's single small oil deal buying the minimum NYMEX order for oil at $100/barrel by a BROKERAGE OWNER was purposely made by him at a loss. Richard Arens broke the psychological price ceiling to push the oil market to rise above $100/barrel for real, which it did today. I'll bet Mr. Arens has other oil investments that he's NOT losing money on.

Brokers don't lose money on purpose for nothing...

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By Javier Blas for London Financial Times
Published: January 2 2008 21:47 | Last updated: January 3 2008 01:11

With a single small deal, an independent trader on Wednesday secured his place in market history by pushing oil prices briefly to the unprecedented level of $100 a barrel.

Some observers questioned the validity of the price mark when it emerged that the peak was the result of a trader – one of the “locals” who trade on their own money – buying from a colleague just 1,000 barrels of crude, the minimum allowed, industry insiders said. The deal on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange was at a hefty premium to prevailing prices.

Insiders named the trader as Richard Arens, who runs a brokerage called ABS. He was not available for comment. Analysts said he may have been testing the ceiling of the crude price, but the premium he paid surprised the market.

Before the $100-a-barrel trade, oil prices on Globex were at $99.53 a barrel. Immediately after the trade, prices went down to about $99.40, suggesting a trading loss of $600 for Mr Arens.

Stephen Schork, a former Nymex floor trader and editor of the oil-market Schork Report, commented: “A local trader just spent about $600 in a trading loss to buy the right to tell his grandchildren he was the one who did it. Probably he is framing right now the print reflecting the trade.”

The transaction was not shown at first on the electronic Globex system, which carries the bulk of crude oil trading, leaving the market unsure about the price level. But Nymex said: “It is considered a valid trade.”

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And whats up with the Globex system not showing ALL TRADES transacted on the NYMEX exchange? What a bunch of B.S.

Dad
01-03-2008, 11:48 AM
Yesterday's single small oil deal buying the minimum NYMEX order for oil at $100/barrel by a BROKERAGE OWNER was purposely made by him at a loss. Richard Arens broke the psychological price ceiling to push the oil market to rise above $100/barrel for real, which it did today. I'll bet Mr. Arens has other oil investments that he's NOT losing money on.

Brokers don't lose money on purpose for nothing...

********************************
By Javier Blas for London Financial Times
Published: January 2 2008 21:47 | Last updated: January 3 2008 01:11

With a single small deal, an independent trader on Wednesday secured his place in market history by pushing oil prices briefly to the unprecedented level of $100 a barrel.

Some observers questioned the validity of the price mark when it emerged that the peak was the result of a trader – one of the “locals” who trade on their own money – buying from a colleague just 1,000 barrels of crude, the minimum allowed, industry insiders said. The deal on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange was at a hefty premium to prevailing prices.

Insiders named the trader as Richard Arens, who runs a brokerage called ABS. He was not available for comment. Analysts said he may have been testing the ceiling of the crude price, but the premium he paid surprised the market.

Before the $100-a-barrel trade, oil prices on Globex were at $99.53 a barrel. Immediately after the trade, prices went down to about $99.40, suggesting a trading loss of $600 for Mr Arens.

Stephen Schork, a former Nymex floor trader and editor of the oil-market Schork Report, commented: “A local trader just spent about $600 in a trading loss to buy the right to tell his grandchildren he was the one who did it. Probably he is framing right now the print reflecting the trade.”

The transaction was not shown at first on the electronic Globex system, which carries the bulk of crude oil trading, leaving the market unsure about the price level. But Nymex said: “It is considered a valid trade.”

*********
And whats up with the Globex system not showing ALL TRADES transacted on the NYMEX exchange? What a bunch of B.S.

Dad
01-04-2008, 01:21 PM
Here's a related Yahoo News story released today:



Lone trader caused 100 dollar price for oil

1 hour, 54 minutes ago

The trader has been named by US and British media as Richard Arens who runs a one man oil brokerage, ABS.


"The magic figure was hit apparently on the back of a single trade, rumoured to be a local intent on fame," Sucden analysts wrote in a commentary Thursday on the record breaking deal.


Arens offered 100,000 dollars on the New York market on Wednesday for 1,000 barrels of oil, producing the much talked of 100 dollars per barrel which sparked anguish across the financial markets.


He later sold on the contract for slightly below 100 dollars, taking a 600 dollar loss.


"It was just for the form; he wanted to be the first in the world to buy oil at 100 dollars," said Antoine Heff, an analyst at NewEdge.


The new price record came as a shock to the markets although many had been saying 100 dollars was inevitable at some point given strong demand and supply constraints.


Oil slipped back slightly but hit 100 dollars again on Thursday.


On Friday, profit-taking pushed the price back again, with quotes in late Asian trade of 99.23 dollars for New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February.


The initial spike to 100 resulted from "really just one trade which was like a stunt," but more trades pushed it above 100 dollars again on Thursday, said Victor Shum, of international energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz in Singapore.


"We have eased off from the 100 dollars level primarily because of some profit taking," Shum said.


Analysts say rising oil demand has outstripped growth in supply. They point to booming Asian economies like China and India and insufficient investment by oil exporters, which has led to a decline in spare production capacity.
Geopolitical tensions and new buying interest from speculative investors like investment funds are also behind the quadrupling in the oil price over the last five years, analysts say.


A weakening US dollar, which makes oil more affordable for buyers in stronger currencies, is another factor cited for the rise in prices.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080104/ts_alt_afp/commoditiesoilpriceoffbeat