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The determinants of the success and failure of futures contracts were investigated. The existing literature on the subject was examined yielding two predominant veins of thought; those attributing the determinants of success to the characteristics of the underlying commodity and those favoring the contractual provisions. The two views were compared and contrasted based upon their respective explanatory merits. Both were found to contain explanatory value but failed to offer an all encompassing theoretic approach. Fifty innovative contracts were examined to categorize the inception behavior of new contracts. The contracts were found to be either very successful, fail miserably, or experience a period of initial success before abrupt cessation of trading. The reasons for each respective category of behavior were examined and highlighted with case studies. Those directly tailorable factors contributing to the potential success of a contract were examined in the context of an exchanges' strategy for innovation. The difficulties of using duplicative contracts to capture interest from existing liquid instruments is highlighted. After developing this solid understanding of contract innovation the existing application of the insurance hypothesis is refuted and an alternate expected money value approach stated. The advantages of this approach and the increased explanatory power are espoused. / Master of Arts

This study develops a method for estimating confidence intervals surrounding futures based forecasts of natural gas prices. The method utilizes the Barone-Adesi and Whaley model for option valuation to "back-out" the market's assessment of the annualized standard deviation of natural gas futures prices. The various implied standard deviations are then weighted and combined to form a single weighted implied standard deviation following the procedures outlined by Chiras and Manaster. This option implied weighted standard deviation is then tested against the more traditional "historical" measure of the standard deviation. The paper then develops the procedure to transform the weighted standard deviation and futures price into a price range at the option expiration date. The accuracy of this forecast is then tested against 15 and 30 day average forecasts. / Master of Arts

This study addressed two issues. First, it examined the ability of two models, developed by Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (CIR), to explain the differences between futures and implicit forward prices in the thirteen-week T-bill market. The models imply that if future interest rates are stochastic, futures and forward prices differ; the structural difference is due to the daily settlement process required in futures trading. Second, the study determined the efficiency of the thirteen-week T-bill futures market using volatility and regression tests. Volatility tests use variance bounds to examine whether futures prices are excessively volatile for the market to be efficient. Regression tests investigate whether futures prices are unbiased predictors of future spot prices. The study was limited to analysis of the first three futures contracts, using weekly price data as reported in the Wall Street Journal from March, 1976 to December, 1984. Testing of the first CIR model involved determination of whether changes in futures-forward price differences are related to changes in local covariances between T-bill futures and bond prices. The same procedure applied in testing the second model with respect to changes in futures-forward price differences, local covariances between T-bill spot and bond prices, and local variances of bond prices. Volatility tests of market efficiency involved comparison of mean variances on both sides of two inequality equations. Regression tests involved determination of whether slope coefficients are significantly different from zero.

Fung Wing Tsan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-133). / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgment --- p.iii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- THE PRICING OF STOCK INDEX FUTURES --- p.9 / Chapter I. --- The Theoretical Framework --- p.9 / Chapter II. --- Evidence from the US Markets --- p.17 / Chapter III. --- Evidence from Other Markets --- p.21 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- THE PRICE DISCOVERY ROLE OF FUTURES MARKET --- p.24 / Chapter I. --- The Potential of Lead/Lag Relationship between the Stock Index Futures Price and the Stock Index --- p.24 / Chapter II. --- Empirical Evidence for the Lead/Lag Relationship --- p.27 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- THE HEDGING FUNCTION OF STOCK INDEX FUTURES MARKET --- p.30 / Chapter I. --- The Traditional Approach --- p.31 / Chapter II. --- Working's Speculative Hedge Approach --- p.32 / Chapter III. --- The Risk-Minimizing Approach --- p.33 / Chapter IV. --- The Portfolio Allocation Approach --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HANG SENG INDEX FUTURES MARKET --- p.44 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- PRICING EFFICIENCY OF THE HANG SENG INDEX FUTURES MARKET --- p.51 / Chapter I. --- Pricing Efficiency of the Hang Seng Index Futures Market with no Transaction Costs --- p.51 / Chapter II. --- Pricing Efficiency of the Hang Seng Index Futures Market with Transaction Costs --- p.59 / Chapter III. --- The Pattern of the Mispricing Series --- p.66 / Chapter IV. --- Test of Pricing Efficiency using Intraday Prices --- p.70 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- PRICE DISCOVERY ROLE OF THE HANG SENG INDEX FUTURES MARKET --- p.85 / Chapter I. --- The Granger-Causality Test --- p.86 / Chapter II. --- Error-Correction Model and Long-Run Relationship between the Stock Price and the Hang Seng Index Futures Price --- p.93 / Chapter III. --- The Simultaneous-Equation Error-Correction Model --- p.96 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- HEDGING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HANG SENG INDEX FUTURES MARKET --- p.104 / Chapter I. --- The Effectiveness of Hang Seng Index Futures in Reducing Risks Of Stock Portfolios --- p.104 / Chapter II. --- The Hedged Portfolio as an Alternative to Fixed-Income Asset --- p.115 / Chapter III. --- The Effectiveness of Hang Seng Index Futures in Improving Risk´ؤReturn 'Trade-Off --- p.119 / Chapter Chapter 9 --- conclusion --- p.126 / References --- p.130

by Chau Chi-Man. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 76-78.

LL.M. / Die doel van hierdie verhandeling is om die reguleringsisteem in Suid-Afrika te beskryf soos wat dit betrekking het op termynkontrakte. Termynkontrakte vorm deel van 'n groep finansiele instrumente algemeen bekend as afgeleide instrumente. Die term 'afgeleide instrumente' is 'n generiese begrip wat gebruik word om verskeie finansiele instrumente te beskryf wie se waarde afgelei word van 'n onderliggende kommoditeit, wisselkoers of indeks. Termynkontrakte word op die Suid-Afrikaanse termynbeurs (SATEB) verhandel. Ter inleiding sal die sleutelaspekte rondom termynkontrakte en termynhandel kortliks bespreek word ten einde die leser 'n oorsig te bied. Die aspekte word egter in die loop van die verhandeling, onder die toepaslike hoofstukke, meer volledige verduidelik.

This thesis examines the relationship between spot prices, futures prices, and ending stocks for storable commodities. We used Granger causality and DAGs to determine causal relationships and cointegration tests to determine long-run relationships. We use VAR/VECM and consider innovation accounting techniques to see how volatility in one market affects the price behavior and volatility in the other market. Results suggest that for agricultural commodities, innovations in futures price permanently increase the level of spot prices while accounting for much of spot price variance over time. For national oil, shocks to futures price decrease the level of spot price in the long run. In regional oil markets, there are transitory impulse responses. Futures price plays a small role in the volatility of spot prices for oil over time. Overall results are mixed, with oil suggesting futures markets may have a price stabilizing effect and agriculture commodities indicating spot price destabilization.

Choy Siu Kai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-37). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1-2 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.3-9 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- An Overview of Hong Kong Security Market and Data Description --- p.10-18 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Methodology --- p.19-24 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Futures and Mini Futures Results --- p.25-28 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Index and Futures Contracts Results --- p.29-32 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Conclusion --- p.33-34 / References --- p.35-37 / Appendix --- p.38-40 / Tables --- p.41-52 / Graphs --- p.53-57

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management Graduate School of Business Administration University of the Witwatersrand April 2016 / This thesis examined commodity futures on the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX) from two angles; the investors’ perspective and that of the futures exchange. For the former, the research looked at market inefficiencies and resultant arbitrage opportunities while for the latter, extraordinary market movements are examined by exploring how extreme value analysis (EVA) is ideal for exchange risk management and maintaining market integrity. This broadly leads to four empirical contributions to the literature on commodity futures. Using a variety of time series models, wheat contract anomalies are identified by developing new trading rules whose outcomes are superior to any approach based on chance. Monte Carlo simulation employed in an out-of-sample period after accounting for transaction costs establishes that the trading rules are financially profitable. An examination of information flows across four major markets indicated that the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) is the most endogenous market, Euronext and the London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE) the most exogenous, while Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT) is the most influential and sensitive wheat market. SAFEX is a significant receiver of information but does not impact the other markets. Another contribution, analysing maturity effects by incorporating traded volume, change in open interest, and the bid-ask spread while accounting for multicollinearity and seasonality indicates that only wheat supports the so called maturity effect. Lastly, asymmetry is found in long and short positions in SAFEX contracts, and using extreme value theory (EVT) in margin optimization, evidence is found that price limits significantly impact large contract returns. Several implications arise from these results. SAFEX wheat contract inefficiencies could be attractive to speculators. Wheat margins should be higher nearer maturity. Optimizing margins using EVT could reduce trading costs, increase market attractiveness and liquidity while enhancing price discovery. South Africa should increase wheat production since reducing imports will lower vulnerability to adverse price transmission. JEL Classification: C13, C14, C58, G01, G13, G17 Keywords: Futures market; commodities; volatility; seasonality; information flows, margins / MB2016