Commodities Now Glossary

Dalian Commodity Exchange – (DCE), founded in 1993, is one of the four futures exchanges in China and the only futures exchange in Northeast China. Approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), DCE offers a wide range of futures products including corn, No. 1 soybeans (non-gmo), No. 2 soybeans (gmo), soybean meal, soybean oil, RBD palm olein, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

DataGenic – DataGenic solutions deliver an uncompromising and refreshing combination of technology, performance and value to meet the complex data management requirements for companies that provide services in the Energy and Commodity Sector.

Day traders - 



Speculators who take positions in futures or options contracts and liquidate them prior to the close of the same trading day.

Day-ahead and hour-ahead markets Forward markets where electricity quantities and market clearing prices are calculated individually for each hour of the day on the basis of participant bids for energy sales and purchases.

Day-ahead schedule A schedule prepared by a scheduling coordinator or the independent system operator before the beginning of a trading day. This schedule indicates the levels of generation and demand scheduled for each settlement period that trading day.

The Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) - The Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), founded on February 28, 1993, is one of the four futures exchanges in China. As a self-regulated, non-profit organization, the DCE, by strictly enforcing government regulations and exchange rules, has steadily grown since its establishment to become the primary agricultural commodities futures exchange in the country.

DCO - A derivatives clearing organization (DCO) is a clearinghouse, clearing association, clearing corporation, or similar entity that enables each party to an agreement, contract, or transaction to substitute, through novation or otherwise, the credit of the DCO for the credit of the parties; arranges or provides, on a multilateral basis, for the settlement or netting of obligations; or otherwise provides clearing services or arrangements that mutualize or transfer credit risk among participants.

Deadweight tons The lifting capacity of a ship expressed in long tons (2,240 lbs.), including cargo, commodities, and crew.

Dealer tank wagon (DTW) sales US wholesale sales of gasoline priced on a delivered basis to a retail outlet.

Decatherm Ten therms or 1,000,000 Btu.

DECC - The UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Deforestation The net removal of trees from forested land.

Degasification system The methods employed for removing methane from a coal seam that could not otherwise be removed by standard ventilation fans and thus would pose a substantial hazard tocoal miners. These systems may be used prior to mining or during mining activities.

Degradable organic carbon The portion of organic carbon present in such solid waste as paper, food waste, and yard waste that is susceptible to biochemical decomposition.

Delayed Coking A process by which heavier crude oil fractions can be thermally decomposed under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure to produce a mixture of lighter oils and petroleum coke.

Deliverability Represents the number of future years during which a pipeline company can meet its annual requirements for its presently certificated delivery capacity from presently committed sources of supply. The availability of gas from these sources of supply shall be governed by the physical capabilities of these sources to deliver gas by the terms of existing gas-purchase contracts, and by limitations imposed by State or Federal regulatory agencies.

Delivered (gas) The physical transfer of natural, synthetic, and/or supplemental gas from facilities operated by the responding company to facilities operated by others or to consumers.

Delivery month
 - 


A specific month in which delivery may take place under the terms of a futures contract. Also referred to as contract month.

Delta - 



A measure of how much an option premium changes, given a unit change in the underlying futures price. Delta often is interpreted as the probability that the option will be in-the-money by expiration.

Delta neutral - 



This is an “options/options” or “options/underlying instrument” position constructed so that it is relatively insensitive to the price movement of the underlying instruments. This is arranged by selecting a calculated ratio of offsetting short and long positions.