The distributional behavior for futures price spread changes is examined through parametric and nonparametric tests on four different commodities: corn and live cattle, and gold and T-bonds with two different sample sizes. Data are examined for selected periods, stable (1992) and unstable...

Economists and others need estimates of future cash price volatility to use in risk management evaluation and education programs. This paper evaluates the performance of alternative volatility forecasts for fed cattle, feeder cattle, and corn cash price returns. Forecasts include time series...

Firms always encounter risks in the process of production, distribution and marketing due to the structure of the firms, market conditions, or some unforeseen circumstances such as natural catastrophe. Instruments have been developed to help firms deal with such risks, and futures contracts are...

This study identifies the changes that have occurred in the world cocoa market, explains these changes and deduces implications for development policy. Supply of cocoa to the world market has increased and the world price of cocoa is decreasing. Cocoa is an important export commodity for...

In this research, the noise trader sentiment model of De Long, Schleifer, Summers, and Waldmann is modified and applied to futures markets. The theoretical model predicts that overly optimistic (pessimistic) noise traders result in futures prices that are greater (less) than fundamental value....