💰Intro to Finance Unit 14 – Derivatives and Risk Management

What Are Derivatives?

• Financial instruments derive their value from an underlying asset (stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates, market indexes)
• Allow investors to speculate on or hedge against the future price movements of the underlying asset without actually owning it
• Enable the transfer of risk from one party to another
  • Farmers can lock in a selling price for their crops before harvest to mitigate potential price fluctuations
• Facilitate price discovery by providing a market-determined price for the underlying asset
• Enhance market efficiency by increasing liquidity and reducing transaction costs
• Offer leverage, allowing investors to control a large position with a relatively small amount of capital
  • Magnifies potential gains but also increases potential losses

Types of Derivatives

• Forwards are customized contracts between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specified price on a future date
  • Traded over-the-counter (OTC) and not standardized
• Futures are standardized contracts traded on exchanges to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price and date
  • Highly regulated and require a margin account
• Options give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call option) or sell (put option) an underlying asset at a specified price (strike price) within a certain time frame (expiration date)
  • Sellers (writers) of options have the obligation to fulfill the contract if the buyer exercises their right
• Swaps involve the exchange of cash flows between two parties based on a notional principal amount
  • Interest rate swaps exchange fixed-rate payments for floating-rate payments or vice versa
  • Currency swaps exchange principal and interest payments in different currencies
• Credit derivatives, such as credit default swaps (CDS), transfer the credit risk of an underlying asset (bonds or loans) from one party to another
  • CDS buyer makes periodic payments to the seller and receives a payoff if a credit event (default, restructuring) occurs
• Exotic derivatives are complex, customized instruments that often have non-standard features and payout structures
  • Examples include barrier options, lookback options, and Asian options

How Derivatives Work

• Derivatives are contracts between two or more parties that specify the terms of the agreement, such as the underlying asset, the price, the quantity, and the settlement date
• The value of a derivative contract is derived from the performance of the underlying asset, but the contract itself is separate from the asset
• Derivatives allow market participants to transfer risk, speculate on price movements, or hedge against potential losses without directly owning the underlying asset
• Margin requirements for derivatives traded on exchanges ensure that all parties can fulfill their contractual obligations
  • Initial margin is the amount required to open a position
  • Maintenance margin is the minimum balance that must be maintained in the margin account
  • If the account balance falls below the maintenance margin, a margin call is issued, requiring the account holder to deposit additional funds
• Derivatives can be settled physically (by delivering the underlying asset) or in cash (by paying the difference between the contract price and the market price at settlement)
• Clearing houses act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, reducing counterparty risk by ensuring that all parties fulfill their contractual obligations

Pricing and Valuation

• The value of a derivative depends on the price of the underlying asset, the volatility of the asset's price, the time to expiration, interest rates, and other market factors
• Black-Scholes model is widely used for pricing European-style options
  • Inputs include the current price of the underlying asset, the strike price, the time to expiration, the risk-free interest rate, and the implied volatility of the asset's price
• Binomial option pricing model uses a discrete-time framework to value options, constructing a binomial tree to represent the possible price paths of the underlying asset
• Monte Carlo simulation is a numerical method that generates random price paths for the underlying asset to estimate the derivative's value
• Greeks measure the sensitivity of a derivative's price to changes in underlying factors
  • Delta measures the rate of change of the derivative's price with respect to the underlying asset's price
  • Gamma measures the rate of change of delta with respect to the underlying asset's price
  • Vega measures the sensitivity of the derivative's price to changes in the implied volatility of the underlying asset
  • Theta measures the time decay of the derivative's price as the expiration date approaches
  • Rho measures the sensitivity of the derivative's price to changes in interest rates

Risk Management Basics

• Risk management involves identifying, assessing, and prioritizing potential risks and implementing strategies to minimize their impact
• Market risk arises from adverse movements in market prices (equity prices, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, commodity prices)
  • Measured by value at risk (VaR), which estimates the maximum potential loss over a given time horizon at a specified confidence level
• Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty will fail to fulfill its contractual obligations
  • Mitigated through diversification, collateralization, and the use of credit derivatives
• Liquidity risk is the risk that a firm will be unable to meet its short-term financial obligations or unwind a position without incurring significant costs
  • Managed by maintaining sufficient liquid assets and access to funding sources
• Operational risk arises from inadequate or failed internal processes, people, and systems or from external events
  • Mitigated through strong internal controls, backup systems, and contingency plans
• Systemic risk is the risk that a failure or disruption in one part of the financial system will spread to other parts, potentially leading to a market-wide crisis
  • Addressed through regulatory oversight, capital requirements, and stress testing

Using Derivatives for Hedging

• Hedging is a risk management strategy that involves taking an offsetting position in a related asset to reduce the risk of adverse price movements in the original asset
• Derivatives are widely used for hedging because they allow market participants to transfer risk without buying or selling the underlying asset directly
• Examples of hedging with derivatives:
  • A company that exports goods can hedge against currency risk by entering into a currency forward or option contract
  • An investor holding a diversified stock portfolio can hedge against market risk by purchasing put options or selling stock index futures
  • An airline can hedge against rising fuel prices by entering into commodity futures or options contracts
• Hedge ratio is the number of derivative contracts needed to offset the risk of the underlying asset
  • A hedge ratio of 1 indicates a perfect hedge, where the gains or losses on the derivative exactly offset the losses or gains on the underlying asset
• Basis risk is the risk that the price of the hedging instrument will not move in line with the price of the underlying asset, reducing the effectiveness of the hedge
• Dynamic hedging involves continuously adjusting the hedge position as market conditions change to maintain the desired level of risk exposure

Market Players and Their Roles

• Hedgers use derivatives to reduce the risk of adverse price movements in the underlying assets they own or plan to own
  • Examples include farmers, manufacturers, and portfolio managers
• Speculators use derivatives to bet on the future price movements of underlying assets, seeking to profit from price fluctuations
  • Provide liquidity to the market and help in price discovery
• Arbitrageurs seek to profit from price discrepancies between related assets or markets, typically by taking offsetting positions
  • Help to keep prices in line across different markets and contribute to market efficiency
• Market makers provide liquidity by continuously quoting bid and ask prices for derivatives, profiting from the bid-ask spread
  • Often required to maintain a two-sided market and ensure orderly trading
• Brokers act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, facilitating derivative transactions and providing market access to clients
• Clearing houses act as central counterparties for derivative transactions, reducing counterparty risk and ensuring the integrity of the market
  • Require market participants to post margin and settle contracts daily to minimize default risk

Regulatory Environment

• Derivatives markets are subject to regulation to ensure fair and orderly trading, protect investors, and maintain financial stability
• In the United States, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates futures and options markets, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees securities-based derivatives
• The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) introduced sweeping changes to the U.S. financial regulatory system, including new rules for derivatives markets
  • Mandated central clearing for most standardized OTC derivatives
  • Required the registration and regulation of swap dealers and major swap participants
  • Increased transparency through trade reporting and the use of swap execution facilities
• The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) provide a regulatory framework for derivatives markets in the European Union
• The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision sets global standards for bank capital requirements, including specific rules for derivatives exposures
• Margin requirements for non-centrally cleared derivatives aim to reduce systemic risk by ensuring that counterparties have sufficient collateral to cover potential losses
• Position limits restrict the number of derivative contracts that a single entity can hold, aiming to prevent market manipulation and excessive speculation