Corporate derivatives use policy and information environment

We provide evidence consistent with the notion that prudent use of financial derivatives improves firms’ information environment. We show that firms with sophisticated and comprehensive derivatives use policies display lower levels of uncertainty about future cash flows, volatility of future income and sales growth, and equity mispricing than those that do not use derivatives. However, we also show that policies that consist of large positions in a single type of derivative contract are not likely to produce similar benefits. These results remain intact even after accounting for the endogenous nature of derivatives use policy and information risk and mispricing.