Futures, forward Flashcards
What is the purpose of the futures exchange?
acts as an intermediary and mitigate the risk of default by either party in the intervening period.
How does the futures exchange protect from default?
ask both parties to put up some initial cash: the original margin
What is the original margin?
a % of the value of the futures contract and varies depending on the volatility of the market. The more volatile, the higher the margin.
What is leverage?
the fact that original margins are a small pc of the value of the underlying commodity means you can trade really big with little money.
a contract delivered is…
a contract sold
a contract liquidated…
is a contract bought back
what is variation margins
the price variations of a commodity’s price from the moment the contract is entered into and to the moment it is delievered or liquidated.
How does the futures exchange protect against default?
They ask shorts to pay equiv losses if the price goes up and longs to pay equiv of losses if price goes down - every day
Positive and negative of using futures market?
no risk that the supplier will default due to bankruptcy etc, BUT no assurance of where you get the commodity from.
What’s an EEP and AA?
Exchange for Physicals (EFP) Against Actuals (AA) transaction. When you hedge your price risk by buying futures and then nearer the date of shipment you exchange the futures contracts for actual sugar.
Why is selling commodities on the futures exchange good for farmers not sure about harvest?
They can buy back futures they have sold in case of a problem (even if its not a price they would like)
Most traders expertise is not in the outright price…
but in the basis - the physical difference between physicals and futures.
How does a trader trade the physical premium?
if you buy physical cargoes on an EFP against the futures in expectation the premiums/ basis would rise
Jargon way of saying only brazillian sugar will be delivered
the futures represent brazillian origin
the information itself isn’t important…
but the way it’s acted upon