Uncoordinated Hedging and Price Chain Reaction∗ Jun Kyung Auh†Wonho Cho‡ First version: June 2019. This version: November 2019 ABSTRACT We show that structured derivatives markets could cause a significant and long-lasting price dislocation of underlying stock due to a abrupt delta- hedging triggered by an event predefined in the payoff. Moreover, one event causes another: uncoordinated hedging creates a cascade of price impact on the underlying market. The stock market is susceptible to the sequential dislocation when corresponding derivatives are issued with a largely homoge- neous payoff in a concentrated period. Using the unique features of Korean data, we find that the event-driven hedging contributes at least -5% of daily return on the event day. The price impact survives more than 1 week, and exacerbates itself by increasing probability of future events. Our results uncover a new feedback mechanism that amplifies a negative shock. Keywords: Price Pressure, Delta Hedging, Uncoordinated Asset Sale, Over- the-Counter Derivatives Markets JEL classification: G12, G14, G24 ∗This research was partially supported by the Graduate School of Yonsei University Research Scholarship Grants in 2017. All errors are our own. †Corresponding Author, Finance Department, Yonsei University School of Business. 50 Yonsei-ro School of Busi- ness, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea. Email:
[email protected]. ‡Ph.D. Candidate in Finance Department, Yonsei University School of Business. 50 Yonsei-ro School of Business, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea. Email:
[email protected] In finance theory and also in practice, the value of derivatives contracts is computed with exoge- nous price dynamics of underlying assets.