The trading platform is part of the New York Mercantile Exchange ClearPortsm technology network, which will also include messaging architecture, the Exchange's clearing services website, confirmation services, as well as future extensions of the Exchange's technological services.
The initial contracts listed for trading will include the 32 futures contracts currently listed for a 90-minute session on NYMEX ACCESS®, as well as the Exchange's financially settled Henry Hub swaps and West Texas Intermediate calendar swaps futures contracts. The Thursday afternoon start will mark the beginning of the January 17 trading day. The 32 futures contracts, which are currently offered from 7:30 AM through 9 AM, will cease trading on NYMEX ACCESS® on Thursday morning.
Trading will be offered from 7 PM, Sunday night, through to 2:30 PM on Friday, with 45-minute break each day from 2:30 PM to 3:15 PM. In addition to providing a means for competitive execution, the Exchange will continue to allow exchange of futures for swaps and exchange of futures for physicals transactions in these contracts to be posted directly to the NYMEX ClearPortsm clearing website.
Exchange President J. Robert Collins, Jr., said, "We are pleased to offer this trading platform as the next step toward having NYMEX ClearPortsm serve as the central portal for the energy industry to the broad range of services offered by the Exchange. The NYMEX ClearPortsm network will also offer standardized formats, language, and connectivity for both back and front office needs. It will provide open standards including Financial Information Exchange 4.2 protocol and an xml schema that the industry can use for all of its business needs including invoicing, confirmations, straight-through processing, and, of course, trading and clearing."
