Hedging

Oil supply outlook: Nigeria

An uptick in Nigerian oil production at the end of 2009 led to hopes of greater supply stability. However, with political uncertainty looming and attacks on oil facilities on the rise again, Lianna Brinded asks experts if they are still optimistic for…

Hedging hit hard

The Reserve Bank of India issued draft guidelines last November proposing a ban on reduced-cost derivatives structures – the source of much controversy in India’s corporate market during the past three years. But some corporates are not happy with the…

Clearing exemption too close to call

Exempting commercial hedgers from mandatory clearing could create a loophole for the institutional investors often blamed for driving up commodity prices, according to the chief lawyer for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

A dynamic model for correlation

Equity markets have experienced a significant increase in correlation during the crisis, resulting in exotic derivatives portfolios realising large losses. As larger correlations in downward scenarios are already implied in the index option market in the…

The index artists

The past 12 months have posed a new set of challenges for the indexing and exchange-traded fund markets. But as delegates to the Art of Indexing Summit USA in New York heard on October 28, providers are adapting to the changed landscape. Now it is simply…

Knock-on FX

Many banks are now including a credit charge in swap and forward transactions, while increased volatility has upped the cost of options. At the same time, the financial crisis has sparked a suspicion of complex products. How are corporate hedgers and…

A market model on the iTraxx

A market model for the dynamics of credit-risky baskets and indexes such as the iTraxx has long been sought, but because of difficulties with the natural numéraire has remained elusive. Here, Philippe Carpentier proposes using hedging arguments to…