Author Archives: Emma Jenkins

Are there any questions?

This week’s London Metal Exchange / Euromoney Learning courses were attended by a range of participants from all parts of the supply chain and with varying degrees of existing knowledge of the LME.  The courses assume no prior knowledge and seek to build confidence in those new to the market, as well as challenging and extending the range of the more experienced participants.

There certainly was no shortage of questions throughout.  One advantage of virtual delivery is that a shy, less confident attendee can pass questions directly to the trainer via a private chat, so their queries do not get drowned out by the more dominant participants.

“The speech and presentation were very inspiring”

“Great course, it exceeded my expectations”

“No one felt they had to hold back from asking questions”

The next courses will take place during LME Week (25-27 October) and will see a welcome return to the classroom.  Virtual courses are scheduled to coincide with the business day in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.  Check out Upcoming Courses to find a date and time zone that works for you.

The show must go on

Thank goodness for virtual delivery.  Last week’s London Metal Exchange’s “Introduction to Cash-settled Futures” was able to go ahead despite the trainer testing positive for Covid.  This 3-hour course is specifically designed for those keen to learn more about the cash-settled contracts offered by the LME, but it also an excellent brief introduction for anyone interested in learning how to apply futures contracts to manage metal price risk.

Why not set aside time in your diary to join the next session on 10th November 2022?
 

Together or separate?

The LBMA’s introductory courses on the loco London market are designed as two independent modules, which can be taken consecutively or independently. Last week’s courses saw over half of the attendees on the first module continue straight to the second module. The remaining attendees on the “How to use loco London” course had all previously attended the “Introduction to loco London”. It was wonderful to see so many returning for more training. It is a clear indication that the courses are fulfilling a need.

It is absolutely not a prerequisite to complete the first module in order to join the second. So, what suits you best? A two-day deep dive, or one day followed by a refresher and more advanced material a few months later?

“The course was exactly what I needed in terms of content and duration.”

“Excellent mix of lecturing and workshop activities, with enough breaks to allow me to follow for a full day”

“Expertly delivered – pitched at an appropriate level and very engaging”

“Understanding was possible at all levels of English”

The next run of the first module is timed to cater for the Asian time zone and will run over two consecutive afternoons (Singapore time) on 26 & 27 September. It is anticipated that the second module will run again towards the end of the year.

Follow this link to secure your place.

Going, going, …. not gone

Attendees on last week’s London Metal Exchange / Euromoney Learning courses were taking bets on whether or not the presenter’s voice would last until the end of the day, let alone until the end of the third day.  Trial and error with various medications quickly established the ones that worked.  At least the virtual delivery protected all participants from contracting the same cold. 

“Excellent course. Could not fault it.”

“Good mix of theory and practice (through examples, quiz, discussion, ….), in an interactive environment. At last, also good fun!”

“I really appreciated being able to ask questions along the way”

With several more attendees with an interest in steel than usual, there were lots of extra discussions comparing the physical market conventions for base metals to those in steel, and contrasting the financial products offered by the exchange to service the respective sectors.
Courses are scheduled to coincide with the business day in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.  Check out Upcoming Courses to find a date and time zone that works for you.

Can you bake muffins?

Last week’s London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) training course did not turn into the Great British Bake Off, but one participant said that explanations on the course made understanding the loco London market and applying derivatives “as easy as following a muffin recipe”.

“The interactive graphics, examples, drawings, workshops certainly helped to explain the more complex points of the course and also kept the course engaging.”

 “Overall, this was an excellently structured and delivered course.”

 “Easy to understand (even for non-native speakers).”

 “Very satisfied that I took this course and would recommend it to someone else.”

Being a virtual course, of course there were no muffins, or even coffee, supplied during the coffee breaks.  What was clear by the end of the course, was that participants felt ready to try out the “recipes” for loco London and derivatives back at the office.

If you would like to improve your skills, “An Introduction to Loco London” and “How to Use Loco London” are next scheduled to run on 9th and 10th June 2022 respectively.  Follow this link to secure your place.

Is there a question?

Attendees on last week’s London Metal Exchange / Euromoney Learning courses took full advantage of the interactive nature of these sessions to ask all sorts of questions about the LME.  Any time there was a pause, there was always someone there with a question. At the end of the course, one of the quieter participants note how much more they had learned from the extra explanations.  If you have any questions about the LME and it’s products, why not attend a course and get the answers.

“I sincerely recommend to attend this course to all the users that are approaching the LME world.”

“Was really impressed with the trainer and the format of the course. Even though it was online you still felt like you were in a room of people.”

“Even on a virtual environment there has been a successful capacity to handle moment of tiredness with fun and education.”

Courses are scheduled to coincide with the business day in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.  Check out Upcoming Courses to find a date and time zone that works for you.

Seeking knowledge or inspiration?

On the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) courses you never know who will be on the course with you.  This week’s “Introduction to LME Cash-settled futures” had excellent representation across geographies (Africa, Europe and the US), across metals (steel, lithium and base metals) and across industry sectors (recyclers, refiners, traders and construction).  A surprise attendee was a US based artist who uses metals in their sculptures.  Discussions around the main topics were full of helpful insights particularly from the price reporting agencies.  All too quickly, time was up and the trainer had to call time when it looked like several side deals might be concluded there and then.

And the verdict?

  • 100% found the level of the course was just right
  • 100% will use what they learned immediately

And we look forward to seeing the artwork inspired by the day.

Whatever your motivation, why not set aside time in your diary to join the next session on 17th June 2022?

Cash is king

This week’s London Metal Exchange (“LME”) / Euromoney Learning  webinar took a look at cash-settled futures which use price reporting agencies to determine the final cash settlement amount.  It included an in-depth look at the front-month contract and explains why the front-month quote can differ from spot prices in the physical market.

“It is so helpful to be able to go back to basics and remind myself of the underlying principles in what can be an incredibly complicated and jargon-filled topic.”

“All very clearly explained!”

If you missed it, links to all the webinars in this series are here.  To learn more about these contacts, why not join the half-day course on 9th February 2022.

Memorable moments

Last week’s London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) training courses got rave reviews despite a few hiccups along the way.  A brief internet outage dumped the trainer out, and the builder next door starting to cut through concrete slabs drowning out all conversation.

The attendees were superb throughout.  While the trainer was getting reorganised, one shared their personal experiences of being part of the gold fixing, the forerunner to the current LBMA price process.  And we all laughed at the willingness of the builder to stop work early on a Friday afternoon so that we could complete our leasing workshop.

“Great foundation with the right pace and content”

“The workshops helped understanding tremendously”

“The training was delivered professionally, with knowledge and with a human touch”

Top marks to the group on the “How to Use Loco London” course as they achieved the stretch target of completing a bonus case study by racing through the standard course materials in record time. It was a satisfying end to a great two days.

“An Introduction to Loco London” and “How to Use Loco London” are scheduled to run on 22nd and 23rd February 2022 respectively.  Follow this link to secure your place.

Full house

Last week the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) ran their new “Introduction to Cash-Settled Futures” course for the first time.  Places filled up quickly with an impressive geographical spread of attendees from Malaysia to New York.

The focus of this course is on the cash-settled futures contracts introduced by the LME in more recent years, where the final settlement price is determined by a Price Reporting Agency (“PRA”).  The three-hour session combines theory with several practical examples, and encourages questions and discussions of real life situations.

Feedback has been great with most rating the course excellent, noting that their knowledge had greatly improved and expecting to readily apply the new knowledge in their day-to-day roles.

“It was fun and interactive session”

“My understanding on the LME and futures has been significantly improved”

Don’t just take their word for it.  Why not join the next session on 9th February 2022?