These days, virtually everyone agrees that economies are a mess in the United States, Europe and much of the rest of the world. On October 25, the Conference Board reported that sentiment among U.S. consumers had sunk to lows not seen since the height of the recession. A “super-committee” of 12 members of Congress is at loggerheads, with only weeks to find ways to slash U.S. budget def
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) has released a groundbreaking study of municipal bond defaults from the Great Depression to today that concludes that there will not be a material increase in municipal defaults over the medium term. The study, An Analysis of Historical Municipal Bond Defaults, draws on data from more than 8,500 municipal bond defaults occurring during the period between 1929 and 20
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) outlined key provisions to the Standard Credit Support Annex (SCSA) proposal as part of its continuing efforts to increase efficiency and improve standardization in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets. The SCSA proposal addresses three primary objectives. The SCSA seeks to standardize market practices by removing embedded
As the financial markets continue to fluctuate and the economic outlook remains uncertain, finance professionals are conflicted about the changes impacting their controversial industry. According to a recent survey by OneWire, 81% of respondents believe financial regulation will not have a positive impact on their jobs; however, 75% believe that financial reform is needed.
It’s all about politics. Once that environment smoothes out, the Pacific Northwest can get on with the business of building out its renewable energy programs. A lack of transmission is not the largest impediment to short- and intermediate-term development of more renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest, former BPA Administrator Randy Hardy said Nov. 9 at the 3rd Annual conference Developin
IDC Energy Insights and Intelligent Utility magazine, an Energy Central publication yesterday announced the results of the annual UtiliQ rankings – a joint study designed to cut through the smart grid hype and provide benchmarks for measuring the progress utilities are making on the path to intelligent energy. For the third straight year, Sempra Energy's San Diego Gas & Electric is the most
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) announced that its Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee resolved that an auction will be held in respect of Dynegy Holdings, LLC (formerly known as Dynegy Holdings Inc.) following its resolution on November 9, 2011 that a Bankruptcy Credit Event had occurred.
Data. If one word describes the transformation from a utility to a Smart Grid, it would have to be “data.” Central to the concept of a Smart Grid is the overlay of the electric infrastructure with communications infrastructure paired with sensors, data collection and control devices, bringing data from the field to the utility back office, and sending control signals back out. Interval
Compliance and integration to drive risk technology expenditure according to the sixth edition of Chartis Research’s RiskTech100 report. "There is a quiet revolution taking place in the financial services industry, where the disciplines of risk and finance are converging," comments Peyman Mestchian, Managing Partner of Chartis Research. He says that it is characterized by better alignment of
While hydrogen is widely used for its chemical properties in a range of industrial applications, its use as a fuel is still a niche market. To date the largest demand for hydrogen as a fuel has come from the United States space program. Now, however, fuel cells that use direct hydrogen are opening up new markets for hydrogen suppliers – ones with potentially high demand if some key applicati
