Section C COMMODITY TRADING and FINANCIAL MARKETS
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Section C COMMODITY TRADING AND FINANCIAL MARKETS Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Managing risk Funding commodity trading p.3 p.11 2 Section C. Commodity Trading and Financial Markets Chapter Introduction Commodity Trading and Financial Markets INTRODUCTION This guide sets out to present a thumbnail portrait reflected here. Deliberately and inevitably, we have of commodities trading. The aim is to inform readers focused on energy, metals and minerals trading, and about the specialist nature of the business and have made only passing reference to trading the services it provides, as well as to dispel some of agricultural products. the myths that have grown up around trading over We have tried as far as possible to capture factors the years. that are generic to commodity trading firms and It makes clear that this is at its core, a physical their basic functions and techniques. and logistical business, and not the dematerialised, This section drills into the more challenging details speculative activity that is sometimes suggested. of risk management, price-hedging and finance. The Trafigura Group, one of the world’s largest independent commodity traders, with a focus on oil and petroleum products and metals and minerals, is at the centre of the narrative. The company focus is designed to provide concrete case studies and illustrations. We do not claim that this is a definitive guide to all facets of the industry. Other firms than Trafigura will have their own unique characteristics, which are not 3 Section C. Commodity Trading and Financial Markets Chapter 10. Managing risk Chapter 10 MANAGING RISK Risk management is a core competence for trading firms. They store and transport physical assets across the globe and earn slim margins on high-value, high-volume transactions. They use sophisticated risk management techniques to link revenues to costs and operate effectively in volatile markets. Major traders have annual turnover that dwarfs their The integrated nature of their operations provides own capital resources and puts them firmly in the ranks another natural hedge within the overall business. of the world’s largest companies. They rely on sizeable In the copper market, for instance, a decline in end- infusions of short-term capital to buy the demand for the refined metal may or may not lead Trading firms can commodities they need to trade. This would to reduced smelter production and lower demand only stay in business not be available to them were they not able for concentrate. It all depends on market dynamics. as competitive, to demonstrate to financial institutions the Either way, the demand for storage (either of low-risk operations sustainability of their business models. concentrates or refined copper) is likely to increase. Managing financial risk effectively is In an integrated trading operation, lower demand therefore an absolute priority for trading firms. They for shipping a commodity is offset by increased use derivative markets to hedge against absolute demand for storing it. price (also known as flat price) risk. They also take But diversification and integration provide little out commercial credit risk and political risk policies protection in the event of a systemic change in market in the insurance market. sentiment. Both the global financial crisis and the economic slowdown in China would have been Diversification and integration reduce risk catastrophic for any trading company that took no Global trading firms handle a variety of commodities additional steps to hedge its activities. and manage processes across the supply chain. As diversified operations they enjoy limited natural protection from commodity price changes. Different price pressures in various commodity markets will be offset by the breadth of their activities. Most are trading both primary and secondary commodities and will usually have their own storage facilities. 4 Section C. Commodity Trading and Financial Markets Chapter 10. Managing risk HEDGING AGAINST FLAT PRICE RISK Physical transaction Agree to sell crude in 3 months $60 at Brent +150 cents Hedge Sell Brent futures at $60 / contract TRANSACTION DATE BRENT Physical transaction Deliver crude – receive $56.50 / barrel $55 Hedge Buy Brent futures at $55 / contract Realised profit = $5 DELIVERY DATE BRENT Net revenue $61.50 ($56.50 + $5) Managing flat price risk It can avoid this by simultaneously taking out The practice of hedging is fundamental to commodity futures contracts against both parts of the transaction. trading. Trading firms like Trafigura systematically It fixes the purchase price in advance by buying futures eliminate their flat price exposure – the risk of a on the transaction date and selling them back when change in the benchmark price for a barrel of oil or it collects the shipment. At the same time, it fixes the a tonne of copper concentrate. sale price by selling futures on the transaction date In a typical transaction, a trader will agree purchase and buying them back when the crude has shipped. and sale prices with two different counterparties to The simplified example above illustrates how traders lock in a profit margin. The transaction is agreed before use futures to remove flat price risk when selling a shipment and the convention is that final prices are physical commodity. not fixed until the commodity is delivered. So on the Hedging flat price risk does not eliminate price risk transaction date, the parties agree both trades at fixed altogether because physical price and futures prices margins against a benchmark index price. For crude, don’t stay completely aligned, but it does leave the for instance, the purchase price might be set at 50 trading firm with a smaller, much more manageable basis points over the Brent index on the day the trader market risk. This is known as basis risk. takes delivery and the sale price at 150 basis points over Brent when the shipment is delivered. Left like this the transaction leaves the trading firm exposed to fluctuations in the actual price of Brent crude. It clearly has to take delivery of the crude before it can ship it, so if the Brent price is higher on the earlier date it could make a substantial loss. 5 Section C. Commodity Trading and Financial Markets Chapter 10. Managing risk Managing basis risk As LNG develops, gas may be traded internationally In essence, basis risk is the difference in the price in sufficient volumes to offset regional price differences, behaviour between the physical commodity and but a global gas price has not happened yet. For now, the hedging instrument. Managing basis risk is core LNG traders have more limited arbitrage opportunities. to the trader’s skill set. Understanding the dynamics In practice, they must decide on the final destination of basis behaviour is the source of profitable for their LNG on the transaction date and establish trading opportunities. the relevant regional hedge. Basis risk arises because, in practice, There is no such the price behaviour of a hedging Physical markets and financial markets thing as the perfect instrument will never exactly correspond The futures market provides valuable information about hedge to that of the physical commodity. expected future supply and demand on which producers, Traders typically use futures contracts consumers and traders can act today. The market is to hedge physical transactions. These are notional, reflecting today’s environment, with a futures contract standardised commodities with specific delivery priced according to the opportunity cost of storing the dates, delivery locations and quality characteristics. physical commodity until its delivery date. Standardisation makes futures much more tradeable, Events change perceptions, so futures should not which reduces transaction costs and execution risks be seen as an accurate guide to changes in the associated with hedging, but also differentiates physical market. However, over time the price of a them from physical commodities. futures contract will always converge with the When trading firms buy and sell physical commodities physical market price. This is because on the day they are acquiring specific assets at particular locations the future contract expires it becomes physically on precise dates. The physical nature of the asset makes deliverable. Physical delivery almost never happens it unique. A Brent futures contract, based on a notional in practice, but the fact that it is possible imposes specification of light North Sea oil delivered at a precise a price discipline on futures contracts. location, will never be an exact match for, say, a cargo So, for example, the closing price for a monthly of heavy Middle East crude. Both prices move roughly futures contract for Brent crude for delivery in June in tandem so basis risk is considerably lower than flat is the same as the spot Brent price in the physical price risk. But because they are priced in linked but market in June. If the prices differed, traders would distinct markets, technical factors and supply and buy in the cheaper market and sell in the market with demand differences result in fluctuations in the the higher price. Supply and demand would quickly differential between their prices. eliminate this arbitrage opening. Global trading firms take advantage The possibility of delivery or receipt is an essential In global of these fluctuations to maximise their feature of almost all futures contracts, and most commodities profit margins. With around half of all stipulate a specific geographic delivery point. For WTI markets, basis relationships international crude priced off the Brent crude, the delivery point is a small town The possibility of provide profitable benchmark contract, there is ample in Oklahoma (Cushing), for US natural gas physical delivery trading opportunity to take advantage of these it is Henry Hub which is, notionally at imposes a price opportunities changing differentials. The global nature least, at a small town in Louisiana (Erath). discipline on of the crude oil market makes global Brent crude is deliverable at various financial markets arbitrage, with oil cargoes circling the world seeking locations around the North Sea because of the the best price, a profitable activity for traders.