Mercuria Speaker at Commodities Class

On November 10, 2015 the Commodities class, taught by Dr. Rouben Indjikian, saw a visit by guest speaker Mr. Benoit Lioud, Senior Communications and Research Analyst at Mercuria. Mr. Lioud, who is working at a major global oil trading company, is an internationally known leading analyst of commodity issues, including futures and trading. He explained the complex role of an oil trader in optimizing international trade flows to match producers with consumers. In particular he showed the role of trading in managing price risks as well as other risks that traders face in the process of executing a commodity trade transaction.

The class was also privileged by a visit of Dr. Clementina Acedo, the Director of Webster Geneva Campus. Dr. Acedo discussed with the students about the importance of the commodity course which many thought would improve their career prospects. This class was launched at Webster Geneva Campus in 2013, on the initiative of Dr. Indjikian, to recognise the importance of Geneva as a global center for commodities and trade finance. Dr. Indjikian is a former UNCTAD economist who has developed and headed programs on commodities and trade finance.