Chicago, 18 January 2011

IntercontinentalExchange Inc., a leading operator of regulated global futures exchanges, clearing houses and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, and TMX Group, owner of Natural Gas Exchange Inc. (NGX) which offers leading trading and clearing services for natural gas, crude oil and electricity contracts, today announced an agreement to add Canadian and U.S. physical and Canadian financial crude oil products to their existing clearing and technology alliance.

Under the terms of the agreement, NGX's Canadian physical crude products will be offered for trading through ICE's electronic trading platform. NGX will provide clearing services for the new physical crude contracts that will be traded on ICE. ICE and NGX expect to launch the combined offering in the first quarter of 2011.  ICE launched financial products against TMX Group's Canadian crude indices, the industry's most comprehensive gauge of Canadian crude pricing, in December.

TMX Group entered the physical crude space in 2009 with the acquisition of NetThruPut Inc. (NTP), a North American crude oil exchange and clearing facility, whose crude oil products now transact through NGX.  NGX operates North America's leading clearing house for physical natural gas.

Said Tom Kloet, CEO, TMX Group: "Market participants have responded positively to the existing NGX-ICE alliance by continuing to post record volumes in the areas we serve together. We are delighted to be able to offer these world class energy trading and risk management tools to our valued customers in crude."

Said ICE Chairman and CEO, Jeffrey C. Sprecher: "This agreement builds on the success of our partnership with NGX in the North American physical gas and power markets by creating risk management opportunities and capital efficiencies for oil market participants."

ICE has served the global crude markets for over a decade through its OTC energy markets and through London-based ICE Futures Europe. ICE currently provides trading technology to NGX for Canadian natural gas and power markets. NGX in turn provides physical clearing services for ICE's U.S. physical natural gas markets. Since the launch of this alliance in 2008, these markets have seen strong volume growth.

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