European power trading innovation: The imperfection of data
While transparency and data provision have made huge strides, there are still information gaps and quality problems, warns the founder of UK power analysis firm Catalyst Commodities
“We have, in addition to our presentations and expert written analysis, invested massively in our platform—that is our extra five people.” So says Paul Monk, who founded UK power price forecasting service Catalyst Commodities in 2014 after over a decade of power trading and analysis experience with French utility EdF and with Deutsche Bank. Given Monk’s spend on data processing capabilities, one might expect him to be a full-throated evangelist for the information explosion in the UK and European power markets. But he has some caveats, around quality of data and around the UK market’s much-vaunted commitment to transparency. Catalyst fo
Also in this section
29 April 2026
The UAE’s exit from the alliance marks a decisive step towards a world in which oil markets are shaped less by collective management and more by national strategy
29 April 2026
Trafigura’s $1b prepayment agreement confirms African resource holders’ renewed interest in oil-backed financing deals as they look to capitalise on high oil prices
29 April 2026
The UAE’s departure from the oil producers’ group was a surprise to many, but the move can be traced back to a single point five years ago
28 April 2026
Oil traders warning of $200/bl oil are wrong, and the market should be wary of proclamations that the impact of the oil shortage has only begun to be felt and a that a ‘harsh adjustment’ is coming—even for industrialised nations






