Chapter 1: Introduction to Derivatives Flashcards
What is the difference between a future and a forwards?
Futures are traded on an exchange with standardised contracts
Forwards are traded OTC with custom terms
What are the three ways that derivatives are used?
Speculation
Hedging
Arbitrage
What is speculation?
Seek to make profit on market moves
Derivatives have high levels of gearing
What is hedging?
Taking an opposite position in the futures market to guard against adverse price movements
What are the 3 types of arbitrage and what do they mean?
Intertemporal - Prices on different maturity contracts for same asset are “out-of-line”
Geographic - Price difference between two identical contracts on different exchanges
Value-chain - As between the prices of crude oil and refined products
What is arbitrage?
Exploiting price anomalies between two different markets
They undertake a transaction whereby they buy the asset at the lower price in one market and, at the same time, sell it at the higher price in the other market.
What is a future?
Legal agreement between two parties to make or take delivery of a specific quantity and quality of a specified asset at a fixed future date and price.
Where did futures originate?
Agricultural markets
Japan - 1730
Egypt - 1861
How are futures standardised?
Using a legal document called the contract specification.
Why is contract specification important? (3)
Standardise futures trading
Promotes transparency across an exchange
Details precisely what is acceptable in terms of the quality and type of asset
What is minimum permitted movement?
The minimum price movement of a set quantity of an asset.
E.g. wheat futures
Minimum movement is 0.25c per bushel
Minimum quantity (contract) is 5,000 bushels
Thus minimum price per contract is $12.50
How are dates of delivery decided and how are they quoted?
By the futures exchange
Although it will be a set day, it is quoted as the month of delivery
What does fungibility mean in futures?
The contracts are identical and substitutable with others on the same exchange
What are the benefits of standardisation and fungibility? (2)
- contracts are easy to trade as they have set terms, and
- the concentration of activity provides liquidity, as measured by volume.
Is the profit and loss of each side of a trade in futures equal and opposite?
No, we often have to factor in brokerage fees and arrangements
What are the main advantages of futures? (3)
Fungibility - standard contracts
Counterparty risk - Reduced when central clearing house novates contracts
Cost - lower cost thanks to standardisation
What is market risk?
The variance of the market price when entering a futures contract
What is the benefit of forwards when it comes to capital usage?
They may not be marked-to-market daily, meaning that investors may not need to post cash to sustain a losing position
What are the advantages of forwards over futures? (4)
flexibility
better margining
wide range of assets
available from most commercial banks
Where are forwards commonly traded?
FX market
What is a physical market?
One where physical delivery is common
Why might an airline use forwards?
To lock in the price of jet fuel
How are CFDs contracts usually set up?
Most brokers will usually provide a CFD contract to investors that closely mimics the most fungible exchange-traded product.
Are CFDs considered OTC?
Yes
What cost efficiencies do CFDs offer? (3)
No stamp duty
No broker fee
Cheaper than shorting
What margin deposit do brokers require for CFDs?
10-30%
What is the time period of most CFDs?
Intraday
Why are most CFDs traded intraday?
Holding overnight incurs interest cost
When do CFDs expire/mature?
As decided by the investor, no set deadline
What is the difference between CFDs and spread betting?
CFDs do not have fixed expiry date
Spread betting is considered gambling and has different tax laws
Spread Betting doesn’t usually have commission
What is the most popular spread betting asset?
short-term interest rates
(STIR)
What is an option?
A contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset at a particular price on or before a particular date.
The seller will assume an obligation.
Can you get options on derivatives?
Yes, all major derivatives exchanges offer options based on their futures contracts.
What is the seller of an options contract known as? (2)
Contract writer
Going short
What is the difference between strike and exercise price?
Nothing, same thing.
What is the strike price?
The price at which the option can be exercised.
What is the settlement price?
Price that determines pay-off when option expires
What is the premium?
What cost of option to the buyer.
How is premium settled to the writer?
The holder pays the premium via their broker, who then passes
it on to the clearing house for the account of the counter-party’s broker.
What does in or out of the money refer to?
The difference between the strike price and the underlying price.
What does at-the-money refer to?
Breaking even on an option
Strike = underlying
What is IV, Intrinsic Value?
Only options that are in the money have this.
IV = Current - Strike
What is Extrinsic Value?
Where options premium differs from the IV, the rest of the value is derived from “extrinsic value”.
What factors make up extrinsic value? (3)
Time value, implied volatility, interest rates
What is time value?
Probability there may be an increase in the intrinsic value of an option
Options with long expiry date tend to have higher time value as chance of being in-the-money is higher
What is a European-style option?
Can only be exercised on expiry day
Remember E for European and Expiry
What is an American-style option?
Can be exercised at any point
A for American and Any day
What is an Asian-style option?
Option where the pay-off is not determined by underlying price at maturity but by the average underlying price over the entire length or specified length of the contract.
What are the two common versions of Asian options?
- Strike price set at the beginning and the settlement price is the average asset price over the life of the option
- Strike price is the average traded price over the life of the option
What is an average strike option?
Asian-style option where the strike price is the average traded price over the life of the option
What is a Bermudan-style option?
Option where early exercise is restricted to certain dates during its life, usually a series of dates in regular intervals
Assuming all factors are the same, how are European, American and Bermudan premiums ranked in price order?
- American
- Bermudan
- European
Flexibility increases the cost
Which options are considered vanilla vs exotic? (4)
Vanilla
European
American
Exotic
Asian
Bermudan
What is a lookback option?
Strike price is dependent on the historical price
Owner has the right to exercise at highest/lowest price over set period
What is a barrier option?
Pay-off depends on whether an asset as reached a pre-determined price
What is a knock-in option?
Type of Barrier option
One that is activated once the underlying asset has reached a pre-determined price.
What is a path-dependent option?
Lookback, Asian, Barrier option
An exotic option whose payout that can vary based on the path the underlying asset’s price takes over its life or at certain times during the option’s life.