Commodity futures trading performance using neural network models versus ARIMA models

Neural networks trading returns are compared out-of-sample with traditional ARIMA returns for corn, silver, and deutsche mark. Results show that neural network and ARIMA models had positive returns, and at about the same levels. However, deutsche mark was less profitable and returns were not statistically different from zero, in contrast to corn and silver. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 18: 965–983, 1998     

Interdealer trading in futures markets

Trading amongst dealers on the floor of the futures exchange is examined. Since there is only one trading venue, the common floor area, trading between dealers is carried on in the presence of trades involving customer orders as well, offering a unique setting for testing the effect of inventory on dealer pricing. The findings are that these futures floor traders implicitly engage in interdealer trading as an inventory management tool. Interdealer trades are more likely to be position reducing than other trades, at higher costs than offsetting with customers. In addition, the concept of a dealer hierarchy is developed, where some floor traders, who generally are more successful, profit from their trades with other dealers. Furthermore, these more successful traders are more likely to use interdealer trading in position reducing trades, which is consistent with the existence of a dealer hierarchy. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:923–944, 2004     

Revisiting the empirical estimation of the effect of margin changes on futures trading volume

This study revisits the empirical estimation of the effect of margin requirements on trading volume. Although theory suggests that margin requirements impose a cost to traders and will therefore likely reduce volume traded, empirical examinations have generally failed to find this association. The contention of this article is that the theory is correct, but empirical estimation has generally neglected to adjust margins for underlying price risk. After adjusting for risk, this analysis finds economically and statistically significant negative effects of margin requirements on trading volume as predicted by theory. This study examined 6 contracts over a 17‐year time period and found that financial futures contracts (gold, Dow Jones, and 10‐Year Treasury Notes) were considerably more sensitive to changes in margin requirements than agricultural futures (wheat, corn, and oats). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:561–576, 2003     

Duration,trading volume and the price impact of trades in an emerging futures market

This paper examines the price impact of trading intensity on the MexDer TIIE28 interest rate futures contract, one of the world's most actively traded contracts. A novel volume-augmented duration model of price discovery decomposes trading intensity into liquidity and information components. Duration between transactions exerts a positive influence on price changes, while increases in order flow and trade volume exert positive and negative influences, respectively. The liquidity component dominates the information measure, suggesting that liquidity considerations dictate trade timing. These findings are rationalized with reference to MexDer's organizational structure, specifically the affirmative obligations placed upon marketmakers to trade a minimum volume.     

Managed futures,positive feedback trading,and futures price volatility

A major issue in recent years is the role that large, managed futures funds and pools play in futures markets. Many market participants argue that managed futures trading increases price volatility due to the size of managed futures trading and reliance on positive feedback trading systems. The purpose of this study is to provide new evidence on the impact of managed futures trading on futures price volatility. A unique data set on managed futures trading is analyzed for the period 1 December 1988 through 31 March 1989. The data set includes the daily trading volume of large commodity pools for 36 different futures markets. Regression results are unequivocal with respect to the impact of commodity pool trading on futures price volatility. For the 72 estimated regressions (two for each market), the coefficient on commodity pool trading volume is significantly different from zero in only four cases. These results constitute strong evidence that, at least for this sample period, commodity pool trading is not associated with increases in futures price volatility. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 19: 759–776, 1999     

石油期货价格与交易头寸的关系分析

本文采用多空头寸比值的新处理方法,保持了头寸变化的方向。研究发现:石油期货价格引导了投资资金顺势而为,是推动两种期货交易净头寸变动的格兰杰原因;两类期货交易净头寸不是推动或平抑石油价格的手段,两类场内期货交易者都是价格接受者,其交易活动不能成为石油期货价格变动的显著推动力,说明石油期货市场并没有因为投机而失去价格发现功能。     

Effects of nondiscretionary trading on futures prices

This paper examines the effects of the nondiscretionary trading demands of volatility index (VIX) exchange-traded products (ETPs) issuers on the prices and volumes in the VIX futures. We find that the ETPs' informationless, mechanical rebalancing of futures positions to maintain the constant maturity of the index and the promised leverage ratios of the VIX ETPs have significantly positive predictive power for end-of-day futures returns. We also show that the impact on price has diminished through time from increased liquidity provided by hedge funds, and the “natural” hedging of the issuers' inverse products.     

Cash trading and index futures price volatility

This study examines the effect of cash market liquidity on the volatility of stock index futures. Two facets of cash market liquidity are considered: (1) the level of liquidity trading proxied by the expected New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trading volume and (2) the noise composition of trading proxied by the average NYSE trading commission cost. Under the framework of spline–GARCH with a liquidity component, both the quarterly average commission cost and the quarterly expected NYSE volume are negatively associated with the ex ante daily volatility of S&P 500 and NYSE composite index futures. Conversely, liquidity and noise trading in the cash market both dampen futures price volatility, ceteris paribus. This negative association between secular cash trading liquidity and daily futures price volatility is amplified during times of market crisis. These results retain statistical significance and materiality after controlling for bid–ask bounce of futures prices and volume of traded futures contracts. This study establishes empirical evidence to affirm the conventional prediction of a liquidity–volatility relationship: the liquidity effect is secular and persistent across markets. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 31:465–486, 2011     

Information content of extended trading for index futures

The recent extension of trading hours for Hang Seng Index Futures provides an opportunity to examine whether extended futures trading contains useful information about spot returns. Using the weighted price contribution measure, we find that pre‐open futures trades are associated with significant price discovery. We extend the model from T. Hiraki, E. D. Maberly, and N. Takezawa (1995) and adjust for the existence of a pre‐open trading session and the overnight trading of cross‐listed shares in London. Our results indicate that extended trading for index futures contains useful information in explaining subsequent spot returns during the trading day. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:861–886, 2004     

Volatility and trading demands in stock index futures

In this study we examine how volatility and the futures risk premium affect trading demands for hedging and speculation in the S&P 500 Stock Index futures contracts. To ascertain if different volatility measures matter in affecting the result, we employ three volatility estimates. Our empirical results show a positive relation between volatility and open interest for both hedgers and speculators, suggesting that an increase in volatility motivates both hedgers and speculators to engage in more trading in futures markets. However, the influence of volatility on futures trading, especially for hedging, is statistically significant only when spot volatility is used. We also find that the demand to trade by speculators is more sensitive to changes in the futures risk premium than is the demand to trade by hedgers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:399–414, 2003     

Insider trading in futures markets: A discussion

“…Every man in the War Department, and the Executive Mansion, who was so situated as to be able to communicate valuable information in advance of the newspaper dispatches was approached by the gold operators, and in most instances an arrangement existed between the former and the latter, for mutual profit.…”