Liquid Capital, a global equity derivatives market-maker that ranks among the largest market-makers by volume on Eurex and other equity option markets, has expanded its business into commodity derivatives with the appointment of Tom James as head of commodity trading in London.

James, an author and professor who has 18 years energy and commodity markets experience, will be responsible for setting up and managing the new commodity trading business at liquid capital markets. Initially, the firm will trade global oil and gas before expanding into other commodity derivative markets.

James joins Liquid Capital from Deloitte & Touche, where he was principal of its energy markets practice in London. He was previously a director at Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi's commodity derivatives group, and director of traded energy markets at Crédit Agricole Indosuez.

He began his career as an energy trader in London with Prudential-Bache and Mocatta Commercial, and was subsequently Asia Pacific regional manager for commodity derivatives with Crédit Lyonnais in Singapore and London, and then founder and director of SwapNet in Singapore.

Liquid Capital was founded by brothers Chris and Gregg Siepman in April 2000 and has grown to more than 130 employees. The group now has offices in London, Sydney and Seoul, and has become a leading option market-maker in the European derivative instruments on markets such as Eurex and Euronext.liffe.

The group also includes Liquid Capital Securities, an independent broker that offers a global execution service for futures and options to an institutional client base in some 20 countries.
The business uses the group's market-makers in Liquid Capital Markets, a network of external liquidity providers and its own customer base to capture the best prices and liquidity in futures and options markets.