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Detailed Glossary
Detailed Glossary
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TRADE TYPE |
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Linear trade | ||
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A trade with no optionality Detail Why? The linearity refers to the delta - that is the variation of the value of the trade with the main underlier Trades with no optionality have a value that is directly proportional to the value of the underlier - if we plot the value against the value of the underlier it will be a straight line - hence linear trade Trades with optionality do not have a linear relationship between value and underlier. As the value of the underlier becomes less and less favourable the value of the trade becomes nearer and nearer to zero Unsurprisingly these trades are known as non-linear | ||
Option | ||
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At its simplest an energy option is an instrument that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy, or to sell, a commodity at a specified price at some point in the future.
More complex options may be financially settled, the payout being dependent on some condition(s) being met, and varying with some observable value(s) at the time of exercise
There is usually a single non-refundable payment made by the buyer of the option (the holder) to the seller of the option (the writer) - this is the option premium
Detail
First, let's try and categorize the different types of options we'll come across, and then describe each in detail, starting with the simplest:
1. Vanilla options - so called because they are a standard "flavour", which may themselves be divided into:
a) Simple physical options - already briefly described above, these include European and American options
b) Financially settled options - these pay out if some measurable, usually a published index, meets some specified criteria. The payout varies with this or other measurables. This category includes Asian options
c) Simple combination options - not strictly different types of options, but traders frequently combine simple options to tailor risk and payout to their circumstances
2. Exotic options - in contrast to vanilla options, exotic options are non-standard, usually complex and are designed to offer, or conceal, a combination of characteristics
Let's look at the simpler types in more detail
Simple physical options
Simple physical options may be thought of as an option to execute a Forward Contract. Indeed, if the option is exercised it effectively becomes a Forward Contract
When the option is traded the following terms are agreed:
Financial options Financial options pay out a cash amount if they are in the money - the cash payout usually being the difference between a fixed strike price, and some variable observable, usually the published price of a energy commodity or product Spread options and options on swaps (swaptions) are types of financial options Asian options are financial options which pay out on the average price of an underlier over the delivery period - assuming they are in the money | ||
Spot | ||
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A spot trade in general refers to a trade with immediate delivery. In energy trading terms it usually refers to a trade with delivery on the day it is executed (within day) or for the following day (day ahead) Detail There is usually high volume trading in spots, particularly for power and gas, as speculative traders try and close out their positions as delivery times approach, and asset-backed traders try to balance, and financially optimize their positions. A large proportion of spots are traded on Exchanges and through Brokers Spot trades are settled physically, and even if executed on an Exchange are often settled by invoice and payment within a day or two of delivery | ||
Spread | ||
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A spread is a difference in price, or value, of two similar but different underliers An Energy Spread trade s a type of trade between two floating prices on similar but not identical energy underliers Detail Spread trades are usually financially settled Different types of Energy Spread are classified by the difference in the underliers:
Many commodity spreads are associated with the cost of generating electricity, so they involve electricity as one commodity, the others may be:
Another group of commodity spreads are associated with the cost of refining, so they involve crude oil as one commodity, the others being refined products such as gasoline. These are known as crack spreads Spread is also used to describe the difference in prices between locations, times, commodities
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Swap | ||
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An Energy Swap is generally a swap of two different prices on an identical, or similar, Energy underlier Detail While financial market swaps may involve swapping almost any cash flow for any other cash flow, an Energy Swap involves the swap of two different prices on an identical, or similar energy product or underlier. The two types of Energy Swap are:
By definition, Energy Swaps are always financially settled Energy swaps may be traded OTC or on an Exchange An Energy Swap is very similar to a a financially settled Futures or Forward Contract Exchange traded swaps are generally settled through non-daily margining - and therefore have credit risk Financially settled futures, like all futures, are settled through daily margining - and have minimal credit risk | ||
Swing Contract | ||
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Also known as a swing option, a swing contract is a type of contract that allows the buyer the option, but not the obligation, to take periodic deliveries of a product at a volume nominated by them between a minimum and a maximum volume at an agreed price Detail Swing contracts ate typically used in long term supply contracts of gas, oil and power They are frequently combined with a take or pay clause, which specifies that a minimum amount of product must be taken over a set of long periods e.g. A swing contract may specify that a daily volume between 10 and 100 units may be taken each day A take or pay clause may specify that a minimum of 365 * 15 units may be taken over the entire year Daily nominations of swing contracts are usually made by a particular time on the previous day, and may be transmitted electronically Valuation of swing contracts is extremely complex, because of the daily optionality, and particularly if there is a take or pay clause as the overall delivery is constrained Swing contracts may be short or long term (up to twenty-five years). Typically the price is either renegotiated periodically, or indexed to an index, or a basket of indexes | ||
Take or Pay | ||
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A type of supply contract in which the buyer commits to buying a minimum quantity of some product, or to make an alternative payment for the amount below the minimum quantity Take or Pay contracts are widely used in the Gas and Oil markets Detail The minimum quantity, the price of purchase, and the price paid for any amount below the minimum are all defined in the contract Typically the buyer nominates a delivery volume each day from the supplier, the minimum quantity applies over a year | ||
Tolling Agreement | ||
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A general term used to describe an agreement in which one party (the toller) provides an input product to the other party, and the other party provides another product (usually derived from the input product) in return Detail In the energy sector tolling agreements may cover:
In effect a tolling agreement is a physically implemented spread | ||
Underlier | ||
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Something physical or tangible that may be referenced by a contract or trade Detail Financial derivatives are completely cash-based and usually have no physical underliers Energy derivatives usually have at least one physical underlier, which may be a commodity, e.g. coal or a something related to a commodity e.g. storage The underlier acts as a bridge to the physical world - and usually as a set of reference prices for price-setting and valuation We need to emphasize that nearly all energy trades have at least one physical underlier - few of them actually involve the delivery of energy commodities
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TRADING |
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Arbitrage | ||
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The difference in cost of achieving the same outcome through different means Detail This is easiest explained as an example: To buy a particular new car in the UK costs £27,000 The identical UK-spec car costs £22,000 in Belgium It will cost you about £1,000 to have it shipped to the UK, plus another £1,000 costs for delivery, any inspections, your time to manage all this etc. Cost of buying the car in the UK = £27,000 Total cost of buying the car in Belgium and having it delivered to your home = £24,000 There is an arbitrage opportunity of £3,000 In general, in a liquid market, with minimal market constraints, traders will exploit any arbitrage, and the arbitrage values should all tend to zero In our example if everyone chose to buy the car in Belgium: the price would probably go up in Belgium because of the higher demand the cost of shipping might go up (because of demand and the realization it's valuable) the price of the car in the UK would probably fall (because they weren't selling any) When the market acts to reduce arbitrage to insignificant values then we describe this as arbitrage-free Arbitrage-free is a powerful method in many valuation tools: it implies we can value an Instrument or trade by looking at alternative ways of achieving the same outcome For example the value of an oil forward contract in six months time, should not be significantly different to the spot price of oil, plus all of the costs of storing that oil for six months | ||