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Should We Fear Derivatives?

Author Info

  • Stulz, Rene M.

    (Ohio State U)

Abstract

This paper discusses the extent to which derivatives pose threats to firms and to the economy. After reviewing the derivatives markets and putting in perspective the various measures of the size of these markets, the paper shows who uses derivatives and why. The difficulties firms face in valuing derivatives portfolios are evaluated. Although academics pay much attention to no-arbitrage pricing results, the paper points out that there can be considerable subjectivity in the pricing of derivatives that do not have highly liquid markets. It is shown that the known risks of derivatives portfolios can generally be measured and managed well at the firm level. However, derivatives can create systemic risks when a market participant becomes excessively large relative to particular derivatives markets. Overall, the benefits of derivatives outweigh the potential threats.

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File URL: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/fin/dice/papers/2004/2004-5.pdf
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Paper provided by Ohio State University, Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics in its series Working Paper Series with number 2004-5.

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Date of creation: May 2004
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Handle: RePEc:ecl:ohidic:2004-5
Contact details of provider: Phone: (614) 292-8449
Web page: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/fin/dice/list.htm
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets
  • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing

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  1. Guay, Wayne & Kothari, S. P, 2003. "How much do firms hedge with derivatives?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 423-461, December.
  2. Rogers, Daniel A., 2002. "Does executive portfolio structure affect risk management? CEO risk-taking incentives and corporate derivatives usage," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(2-3), pages 271-295, March.
  3. Nicolas P. B. Bollen & Robert E. Whaley, 2004. "Does Net Buying Pressure Affect the Shape of Implied Volatility Functions?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(2), pages 711-753, 04.
  4. Black, Fischer & Scholes, Myron S, 1973. "The Pricing of Options and Corporate Liabilities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 637-54, May-June.
  5. Conrad, Jennifer, 1989. " The Price Effect of Option Introduction," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 44(2), pages 487-98, June.
  6. John R. Graham & Daniel A. Rogers, 2002. "Do Firms Hedge in Response to Tax Incentives?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(2), pages 815-839, 04.
  7. Bollen, Nicolas P. B., 1998. "A note on the impact of options on stock return volatility1," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(9), pages 1181-1191, September.
  8. Allen M. Poteshman & Vitaly Serbin, 2003. "Clearly Irrational Financial Market Behavior: Evidence from the Early Exercise of Exchange Traded Stock Options," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(1), pages 37-70, 02.
  9. Robert C. Merton, 1973. "Theory of Rational Option Pricing," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 4(1), pages 141-183, Spring.
  10. Guay, Wayne R., 1999. "The impact of derivatives on firm risk: An empirical examination of new derivative users1," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1-3), pages 319-351, January.
  11. Tufano, Peter, 1996. " Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of Risk Management Practices in the Gold Mining Industry," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 51(4), pages 1097-1137, September.
  12. Richard K. Green & Michael LaCour-Little, 1998. "The Truth About Ostriches: Who Never Prepays their Mortgage and Why They Don’t," Wisconsin-Madison CULER working papers 98-01, University of Wisconsin Center for Urban Land Economic Research.
  13. Bernardo, Antonio E & Cornell, Bradford, 1997. " The Valuation of Complex Derivatives by Major Investment Firms: Empirical Evidence," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(2), pages 785-98, June.
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Cited by:

  1. Kim, Young Sang & Mathur, Ike & Nam, Jouahn, 2006. "Is operational hedging a substitute for or a complement to financial hedging?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 834-853, September.
  2. Kjell Sümegi & Peter Haiss, . "The Relationship of Insurance and Economic Growth - a Theoretical and Empirical Analysis," EcoMod2006 272100091, EcoMod.
  3. Carey, Mark & Stulz, Rene M., 2005. "The Risks of Financial Institutions," Working Paper Series 2005-13, Ohio State University, Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics.
  4. Turner, Peter A. & Lim, Siew Hoon, 2015. "Hedging jet fuel price risk: The case of U.S. passenger airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 44, pages 54-64.
  5. W. Scott Frame & Lawrence J. White, 2005. "Fussing and Fuming over Fannie and Freddie: How Much Smoke, How Much Fire?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(2), pages 159-184, Spring.
  6. Carruthers, Bruce G., 2013. "Diverging derivatives: Law, governance and modern financial markets," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 386-400.
  7. Pierre-Charles Pradier, 2011. "Administering Systemic Risk vs. Administering Justice: What Can We Do Now that We Have Agreed to Pay Differences?," Post-Print hal-00605180, HAL.
  8. Donohoe, Michael P., 2015. "The economic effects of financial derivatives on corporate tax avoidance," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 1-24.
  9. Gatopoulos, Georgios & Loubergé, Henri, 2013. "Combined use of foreign debt and currency derivatives under the threat of currency crises: The case of Latin American firms," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 54-75.
  10. Mariano Graziano, 2012. "Italian nonfinancial firms and derivatives," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 139, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
  11. Robert A. Eisenbeis & W. Scott Frame & Larry D. Wall, 2004. "Resolving large financial intermediaries: banks versus housing enterprises," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2004-23, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
  12. Mayordomo, Sergio & Rodriguez-Moreno, Maria & Peña, Juan Ignacio, 2014. "Derivatives holdings and systemic risk in the U.S. banking sector," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 84-104.
  13. Tadanori Yosano & I Wayan Nuka Lantara, 2010. "Bank-firm relationship and the use of derivatives in japan," Discussion Papers 2010-58, Kobe University, Graduate School of Business Administration.
  14. Florence Guillaume & Wim Schoutens, 2012. "Calibration risk: Illustrating the impact of calibration risk under the Heston model," Review of Derivatives Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 57-79, April.
  15. Kristine Watson Hankins, 2011. "How Do Financial Firms Manage Risk? Unraveling the Interaction of Financial and Operational Hedging," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(12), pages 2197-2212, December.

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