TAKING STOCK: Snail-paced 調査（する） into gas market will find next to nothing

By Tom Mcghie, 財政上の Mail on Sunday

Updated: 11:47 BST, 18 November 2012

Thankfully as the hysteria over energy 巨大（な）s 恐らく 直す／買収する，八百長をするing the 卸売 gas price dies 負かす／撃墜する (I 予報する a 近づく-total exoneration of the in dustry), 顧客s can 焦点（を合わせる） on what is important ? the size of their energy 法案s and company 利益（をあげる）s.

But I 恐れる the 調査 into 申し立てられた／疑わしい 船の索具 may take a long time to 結論する.

Regulator Ofgem, whose 速度(を上げる） of 操作／手術 makes a very sick snail look like a cheetah on 速度(を上げる）, has yet to get around to asking the biggest 操作者 in the 商売／仕事, Centrica, what it was up to in those two exciting days in October when the £300?billion market was 存在 ‘rigged’.

When it does ask, it will find the answer is ‘not much’. Centrica does not 許す its 仲買人s to talk to price-報告（する）／憶測ing 機関s ? the supposed 焦点（を合わせる） of the 船の索具 スキャンダル.

It is not just energy companies that 貿易（する） on the gas market, where there is a 抱擁する 範囲 of different 対策 and indices for gas prices. There are also hundreds of 仲買人s, from small 会社／堅いs to banks, and most of their 取引，協定s are on 審査する for all to see.

And insiders 主張する that no day in the year is any more important than any other when it comes to agreeing 貿易（する）s. So? the idea that 取引，協定s on one or two days a year 始める，決める? the long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 price is plainly wrong.

The 報告（する）／憶測s had a real 影響 on energy company 株. Companies such as Centrica and SSE saw the value of their 株 宙返り／暴落する after Ofgem said it was 開始する，打ち上げるing an 調査 into 申し立てられた／疑わしい market-船の索具.

Centrica の近くにd on Friday at 313.5p, 負かす／撃墜する two per cent on the week. SSE の近くにd at 1364p, 負かす／撃墜する 2.5 per cent over the five days.

But the 落ちる in SSE’s 株 had more to do with 関心s about the loss of 顧客s to 競争相手s rather than about market 巧みな操作 after it 報告（する）／憶測d a high 率 of switching.

消費者 discontent over energy prices is fuelling a rise in the number of them willing to shop around, 特に when energy company 利益（をあげる）s are rising.

SSE last week 報告（する）／憶測d a 38 per cent rise in half-year 利益（をあげる）s. Centrica is 推定する／予想するd to show a more modest six per cent rise when it reaches the 十分な year, but that still はるかに引き離すs インフレーション.

Both companies 主張する that 利益（をあげる） 利ざやs remain low ? five per cent in Centrica’s 事例／患者, but just 1.5 per cent for SSE.

All this vilification of energy companies is having an 影響. SSE 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Ian Marchant is getting ‘fed up’, which 消費者s may be pleased to hear.

But Centrica is thinking of 転換ing its 焦点（を合わせる） to America, which in the long run may not be such good news for 消費者s as a large part of its 組織／基盤／下部構造 投資 will go abroad.