We investigate the effects of margining, a widely-used mechanism to attach collateral to derivatives contracts, on derivatives' trading volume, default risk, and on the welfare in the banking sector. First, we develop a stylized banking sector equilibrium model to derive a set of testable...

Commodity derivatives were introduced in India with a dual purpose of promoting price discovery and enhancing risk management in the commodities market. A transaction tax (of 0.01 per cent) on commodity futures trading was introduced in the Union Budget 2013-14. This study examines the rationale...

People by and large tend to postpone their present consumption for numerous reasons. This postponement of consumption leaves them with surplus money to invest for future consumption. Amongst the number of alternatives avenues present for such investments, gold too tends to be one of them. People...

In this paper, we combine modern portfolio theory and option pricing theory so that a trader who takes a position in a European option contract and the underlying assets can construct an optimal portfolio such that at the moment of the contract's maturity the contract is perfectly hedged. We...

The underlying asset pool of collateral debt obligations (CDOs) simultaneously encompasses credit risk and market risk. However, the standard CDO pricing model not only underestimates the risk to the asset pool due to a poor description of the correlation structure among obligors but is also...

Stock options have been traded in the United States from the late 1700s, and they are based on underlying common stock issues. Options and futures on corporate securities can be evaluated using the firm's common stock price and its volatility rate because this exercise takes in consideration...

Currency derivatives are an important tool to manage foreign exchange risk, hedging. Organizations transacting, investing, or operating in other nations appreciate the possibility of managing currency risk. Investors, financial institutions, and businesses use currency derivatives to complement...

A State Price Density (SPD) is the density function of a risk neutral equivalent martingale measure for option pricing, and is indispensible for exotic option pricing and portfolio risk management. Many approaches have been proposed in the last two decades to calibrate a SPD using financial...

A State Price Density (SPD) is the density function of a risk neutral equivalent martingale measure for option pricing, and is indispensible for exotic option pricing and portfolio risk management. Many approaches have been proposed in the last two decades to calibrate a SPD using financial...

This paper studies how the allocation of residual losses affects trading and welfare in a central counterparty. I compare loss sharing under two loss-allocation mechanisms - variation margin haircutting and cash calls - and study the privately and socially optimal degree of loss sharing. For...