Security News > 2011 > January > EU Carbon Trading Declines as Regulator Halts Spot Market on Hacking Probe
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-20/carbon-trading-declines-as-eu-regulator-halts-spot-market-on-hacking-probe.html By Ewa Krukowska and Mathew Carr Bloomberg Jan 20, 2011 Futures trading in European Union carbon allowances fell and an investors group said it was âvery concernedâ after regulators disabled spot transactions in the worldâs biggest emissions program because of alleged hacking. Volumes shrank to about 305,000 metric tons in the first 90 minutes of trading, or a rate of 200,000 tons per hour, compared with yesterdayâs 1.2 million. Prices for EU permits for December 2011, which fell yesterday the most in a week, were little changed today at 14.40 euros ($19.45) a metric ton as of 10:10 a.m. on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London. The European Commission suspended most operations yesterday at all 30 of the regionâs greenhouse-gas emissions registries after a Czech firm reported about 6.8 million euros of carbon allowances stolen in a hacking attack. The Nasdaq OMX Commodities exchange said today it's suspending trading and clearing of prompt-delivery EU allowances, or EUAs, and United Nations-supervised Certified Emission Reductions âuntil further notice.â âTrading in and clearing of EUA and CER forward, futures and options remains open,â Nasdaq said in an e-mailed statement. âHowever, the situation will be closely monitored to ensure that orderly trading and clearing can take place.â [...]