Weather derivatives were born in the late 1990s. Climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon combined to make the northern hemisphere summer of 2023 the hottest ever recorded, according to the European Union Climate Change Service. Weather derivatives let buyers hedge against the risk that the weather will damage their business. Average open interest in CME weather futures and options contracts in September was around 170,000 contracts, compared to roughly 10 times that for crude oil - although market participants reckon 90% of the weather derivatives market is in over-the-counter deals. "Extreme weather events tend to make good marketing for weather futures," said Samuel Randalls, a professor at University College London who focuses on weather and climate.

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Persons: Andrew ., Ken Griffin's, Peter Keavey, Griffin's Citadel, Nick Ernst, Ernst, Matthew Hunt, Samuel Randalls, David Whitehead, Whitehead, UCL's Randalls, BGC's Ernst, Martin Malinow, Harry Robertson, Emelia Sithole Organizations: NYPD, REUTERS, Energy, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Enron, CME Group, El, Change, Graphics, University College London, Citadel, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Williamsburg, New York City, U.S, Paris, New York, Ukraine