EG: Natural-Gas Trading on Nymex Halted Due to Technical Issues
By Dan Strumpf
NEW YORK--Trading in natural-gas futures and options on the New York Mercantile Exchange was halted Friday due to technical issues, according to the exchange.
Electronic trading on Nymex's Globex electronic platform has been halted since 10:04 a.m. EDT, said Damon Leavell, a spokesman for Nymex's parent company, CME Group Inc. (CME).
Mr. Leavell said trading will resume at 11 a.m. EDT. A "pre-open" session began at 10:45 a.m., allowing traders to re-enter orders that were canceled due to the glitch, he said. No previously executed trades have been canceled. No further details were available about the cause of the halt, he said.
The last electronic trade registered at 9:58 a.m. EDT. Front-month October futures last changed hands at $2.696 per million British thermal units, down eight cents, or 2.9%.
Mr. Leavell said trading on the Nymex floor continues as normal. Floor traders report they are able to trade but volume remains thin.
"Not too many people have called in" trades, one floor trader said.
