FERC assigns ALJ job of sorting out Amaranth case, reiterates right to charge traders

摘要

FERC on Thursday sent its case against Amaranth Advisors to an administrative law judge, extending the life of the high-profile case and forestalling a decision on a proposed $300 million penalty for allegedly manipulating natural gas markets.rnNearly a year after FERC unveiled its case against the collapsed hedge fund, the commission rejected Amaranth's attempts to kill the enforcement proceeding andrnordered an ALJ to evaluate charges that Amaranth's trading practices violated regulations prohibiting the manipulation of natural gas prices.rnSince its $6 billion collapse in September 2006 after a series of bad bets in the natural gas futures market, Amaranth has been the target of investigations by FERC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a US Senate subcommittee. In recent months, thernhedge fund has been political fodder for proponents of measures to curb speculators in energy markets.