On the optimal mix of corporate hedging instruments: Linear versus nonlinear derivatives
✍ Scribed by Gerald D. Gay; Jouahn Nam; Marian Turac
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 178 KB
- Volume
- 23
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0270-7314
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
We examine how corporations should choose their optimal mix of linear and nonlinear derivatives. We present a
model in which a firm facing both quantity (output) and price (market) risk maximizes its
expected profits when subjected to financial distress costs. The optimal hedging position generally is comprised
of linear contracts, but as the levels of quantity and price‐risk increase, the use of linear contracts
will decline due to the risks associated with overhedging. At the same time, a substitution effect occurs toward
the use of nonlinear contracts. The degree of substitution will depend on the correlation between output levels
and prices. Our model also allows us to provide insight into the relation between a firm's derivatives
usage and its transaction‐cost structure. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark
23:217–239, 2003