Financial Frictions and the Futures Pricing Puzzle

Gwilym, R.; Ebrahim, M.S.; El Alaoui, A.O.; Rahman, H.; Taamouti, A.

Abstract

In perfect capital markets, the futures price of an asset should be an unbiased forecast of its realized spot price when the contract matures. In reality, futures prices are often higher for some assets and lower for others. However, there is no stability in the relationship between futures prices and the realized spot prices. This instability has been a puzzle in the existing financial literature. The key to this puzzle may lie in the nature of the model and the lack of market imperfections. In this study, we take a theoretical approach in a dynamic multi-period environment. We incorporate competition between disparate economic agents and impose financial frictions (i.e., imperfections) that are in the form of hedging and borrowing limits on them. Our model gives rise to multiple equilibria, each with unique market clearing prices, with the market switching between these equilibria. Our analysis incorporates a comprehensive consideration of the risks faced by the futures markets participants (i.e., speculators and hedgers) and leads to a better understanding of the puzzle. JEL Classification

Citation

Gwilym, R., Ebrahim, M., El Alaoui, A., Rahman, H., & Taamouti, A. (2020). Financial Frictions and the Futures Pricing Puzzle. Economic Modelling, 87, 358-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.08.009

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 14, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Aug 22, 2019
• Publication Date: May 30, 2020
• Deposit Date: Aug 19, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 22, 2020
• Journal: Economic Modelling
• Print ISSN: 0264-9993
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-6122
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 87
• Pages: 358-371
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.08.009
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1295613