The New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) said Thursday that after-hours physically delivered energy futures contracts will make the migration from its Access system to CME Globex beginning on Aug. 6 for trade date Aug. 7. Nymex also announced margin increases for natural gas related contracts.

Nymex said the electronic trading hours and trade date for after-hours physically delivered energy futures contracts will be modified to reflect the trade date change that occurs daily on CME Globex at 5:15 p.m. EDT. Following the migration, the after-hours trading session that will occur between the close of the trading floor and the close of the business day on CME Globex (3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. EDT for the energy futures contracts and 2 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. EDT for the platinum and palladium futures contract) will be considered part of the current trade date. Trading for the next trade date will begin with the reopening of CME Globex at 6 p.m. EDT Sundays through Thursdays.

Nymex said all exchange-defined calendar spreads, strips, and physical-to-physical inter-commodity spreads (RB:CL, HU:CL, HO:CL, HU:HO, HU:RB, RB:HO) will follow the same trading hours as their respective outright products above.

The exchange said there are currently no changes in the trading times of the Comex Division products trading on Nymex Access. Those products will continue to trade under the current trading hours and trade date mechanism on Nymex Access.

As for margin changes, Nymex increased margins for its natural gas, Henry Hub swap, Henry Hub swing swap, and Henry Hub penultimate swap futures contracts, as well as its natural gas penultimate, natural gas last day, and Nymex miNY natural gas futures contracts that trade on CME Globex, beginning at the close of business on July 28.

Margins for the first month of the natural gas, natural gas penultimate, and natural gas last day futures contracts will increase to $8,500 from $6,500 for clearing members, to $9,350 from $7,150 for members, and to $11,475 from $8,775 for customers. For additional Nymex margin changes, visit the exchange’s web site at www.nymex.com.

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