Commodity hedging's PR dilemma

Media coverage of hedging is often flawed, distorted or downright wrong, and companies face huge challenges in managing public perceptions of their hedge programmes, Alexander Osipovich finds

The way that hedging is portrayed in the media is a source of irritation for many professionals in risk management. All too often, journalists zero in on blockbuster hedging losses and portray any use of derivatives as dangerous speculation, even when they are legitimately being used to hedge companies’ input costs. In financial circles and among those who work in energy and commodities, hedging