Platts Names Valery Kholodnyi Natural Gas Economist, Expanding its Market Forecasting and Quantitative Analysis Group

Boulder, Colorado (ots/PRNewswire) -

Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), today
announced it has expanded its Market Forecasting and Quantitative
Analysis Group, solidifying its position as an industry leader in
power, oil, coal and natural gas forecasting.

Dr. Valery Kholodnyi, a veteran from industry and academia, has
been appointed to the Market Forecasting and Quantitative Analysis
Group team reporting to Dr. Larry Chorn, chief economist. In his new
role as natural gas economist, Dr. Kholodnyi will apply his extensive
market and trading expertise to the development of natural gas and
power analytic solutions.

Dr. Kholodnyi comes to Platts from Middle Tennessee State
University where he was the executive director of the Center for
Quantitative Risk Analysis and a professor of financial mathematics
and risk management. Prior to joining MTSU, he was director of
quantitative analysis for Reliant Resources, Inc. and director of
research and manager of quantitative analysis for TXU Energy Trading,
Inc. He is the author of five books and sixty research articles on
financial mathematics and energy trading. Dr. Kholodnyi earned a
Ph.D. degree in applied mathematics from the Moscow Institute of
Electronics and Mathematics.

"Valery will be a key contributor in incorporating the
quantitative realities of trading activities into Platts' market
simulation modeling efforts," says Chorn, head of the expanded
analytics team. "His depth of experience with buy-side forecasting
and risk valuation in utilities is a welcome addition to Platts' long
standing expertise in supply-side market fundamentals."

Platts Market Forecasting and Quantitative Analysis Group develops
global forecasts of supply and demand trends in natural gas, power
and coal and consults on a variety of energy commodity topics. With
particular focus on the Platts Energy Advantage franchise, the
industry's most comprehensive and flexible online resource for market
data, the team has enabled the transition of the platform into an
even more powerful interactive industry tool. Analyses include annual
market forecasts as well as quarterly updates focusing on
event-driven scenarios around the world.

"Valery's appointment completes a year-long process of building
out our Market Forecasting and Quantitative Analysis team," says
Victoria Chu Pao, president of Platts. "Decision makers have come to
rely on Platts research and analytics as an independent team of
energy professionals to partner with to decipher even the most
challenging supply, demand, pricing and valuation trends."

The Market Forecasting and Quantitative Analysis Group is based in
Boulder, Colorado.

About Platts:

Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a
leading global provider of energy and metals information. With nearly
a century of business experience, Platts serves customers across more
than 150 countries. From 14 offices worldwide, Platts serves the oil,
natural gas, electricity, emissions, nuclear power, coal,
petrochemical and metals markets. Platts' real time news, pricing,
analytical services, and conferences help markets operate with
transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk managers, analysts, and
industry leaders depend upon Platts to help them make better trading
and investment decisions. Additional information is available at
http://www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a
leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs
in the financial services, education and business information markets
through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill
Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The
Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006
were US$6.3 billion. Additional information is available at
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Web site: http://www.platts.com
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com

ots Originaltext: Platts
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Contact:
Kathleen Tanzy +1-212-904-2860, Kathleen_tanzy@platts.com ; Europe:
Shiona Ramage +44-207-1766153, Asia: Casey Yew +65-653-06552