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Transcript of 027-Bhakti Lal-Commodity a Fundamental Research
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The title of the project is Commodity: A Fundamental Research its main objective is to
study the trading mechanism of the multi-commodity exchange and to describe the profile of
gold and silver as a commodity. It further delves into the fundamental research of a
commodity and to form the trading strategy for the future.
The whole project is divided into five parts where in the first part deals with the objective,
scope and approach of the project. The second part deals with mechanism of commodity
trading carried by the multi commodity exchange. Third part delves into the fundamentals
of bullions i.e. gold and silver. This part enables us to know the fundamental of gold and
silver that an analyst should know for research. Fourth part deals with the brief definition of
fundamental and technical analysis and a fundamental research is carried on the commodity
wheat. The conclusion is drawn as to what should be the trading strategy for trading in wheat
for the coming month futures. In the last section, the analysis is done related with the Indiancommodity market and the suggestions to improve it.
The information provided in the project would be useful to understand the fundamental
knowledge that is required in forming the strategy for trading.
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Chapter no. Name of the chapter Page no.1 Part 1 3-41.1 Objective1.2 Approach
1.3 Scope of the study1.4 Limitations2 Part-11 5-342.1 Theoretical framework 2.2 Derivatives2.3 Derivative market2.4 Commodity2.5 History of commodity trading2.6 Evolution of commodity market in India2.7 Commodity derivatives
2.8 Futures contract2.9 Hedging2.10 Speculation2.11 Arbitrage2.12 Operational mechanism of MCX
3 Part -III 35-563.1 Commodity profile
3.2 Silver
3.3 Gold4 Part -IV 57-86
4.1 Fundamental analysis4.2 Technical analysis (basic definition)
4.3 Analysis of wheat.
5 Part-V 87-90
5.1 Analysis of the Indian commodity market
5.2 Suggestions to improve it
References.
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PART-I
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:
A basic purpose or valid reason is always required in order to carry out ant business
activity, and this purpose is nothing but the researchers must know the main objectives of the
study.
The main objectives:
I. Study of commodity trading and market.
II. Analysis of certain commodity
III. Comparison of returns on the various instruments.IV. A brief insight into fundamental and technical (candle sticks) analysis of the
commodity.
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APPROACH TO THE PROJECT :
The approach to the study would be:
Firstly to study the commodity market first in terms of its operational aspect with the help of
the terminal i.e. MCX.
Secondly , studying the nature of the various commodities like steel, gold, silver, cotton,
pepper, soybean seed, Soya oil
Thirdly , studying the comparative returns on the various commodity
Finally , suggestions as to how to improve the volume of commodity market
For the study we will require primary and secondary data:
PRIMARY DATA:
The first hand data has been collected by meeting people from mcx
SECONDARY DATA:
The secondary data has been collected from the website regarding the trend lines of the
commodities and it s nature.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY:
The present study includes the scope of the analysis of performance of the commodity
market. The scope is limited to some commodities only and to fundamental research only.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY:
The study has certain limitation like:
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I. Time constraints
II. Confidential data
III. The detail analysis of the commodities in limited to certain commodities only
PART -II
THEORITICAL FRAME WORK:
A derivative is a product whose value is derived from the value of one or more underlying
variables or assets in a contractual manner. The underlying asset can be equity, forex, and
commodity.
For e.g.: wheat farmers may wish to sell their harvest at a future date to eliminate the risk of
a change in prices by that date. Such a transaction is an example of a derivative. The price of
this derivative is driven by the spot price of wheat, which is the underlying in this case.
Products, participants and functions:
Derivative contracts are of different types. The most common ones are forwards, futures,
options and swaps. Participants who trade in the derivatives market can be classified under
the following three broad categories hedgers, speculators, and arbitragers.
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1. Hedgers : The farmer's example that we discussed about was a case of hedging. Hedgers
face risk associated with the price of an asset. They use the futures or options markets to
reduce or eliminate this risk.
2. Speculators : Speculators are participants who wish to bet on future movements in the
price of an asset. Futures and options contracts can give them leverage; that is, by putting in
small amounts of money upfront, they can take large positions on the market. As a result of
this leveraged Speculative position, they increase the potential for large gains as well as large
losses.
3. Arbitragers : Arbitragers work at making profits by taking advantage of discrepancy between prices of the same product across different markets. If, for example, they see the
futures price of an asset getting out of line with the cash price, they would take offsetting
positions in the two markets to lock in the profit. Whether the underlying asset is a
commodity or a financial asset, derivative markets performs a number of economic functions.
Commodity markets give opportunity for all three kinds of participants.
o Prices in an organized derivatives market reacts the perception of market
participants about the future and lead the prices of underlying to the perceived future
level. The prices of derivatives converge with the prices of the underlying at the
expiration of the derivative contract. Thus derivatives help in discovery of future as well
as current prices.
o The derivatives market helps to transfer risks from those who have them but may
not like them to those who have an appetite for them.
o Derivatives, due to their inherent nature, are linked to the underlying cash
markets. With the introduction of derivatives, the underlying market witnesses higher
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trading volumes because of participation by more players who would not otherwise
participate for lack of an arrangement to transfer risk.
o Speculative traders shift to a more controlled environment of the derivatives
market. In the absence of an organized derivatives market, speculators trade in the
underlying cash markets. Margining,
o Monitoring and surveillance of the activities of various participants become
extremely difficult in these kind of mixed markets.
o Derivatives markets help increase savings and investment in the long run. The
transfer of risk enables market participants to expand their volume of activity.
Derivative market:
Derivative markets can broadly be classified as commodity derivative market and financial
derivatives markets. As the name suggest, commodity derivatives markets trade contracts for
which the underlying asset is a commodity. It can be an agricultural commodity like wheat,
Soybeans, rapeseed, cotton, etc or precious metals like gold, silver, etc.
The most commonly used derivatives contracts are forwards, futures and options
COMMODITY:
The commodity means any intermediate goods, which is useful for production and which has
constant and standard qualities. Commodity is derived from the Latin word Commodus
which means convenient.
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Characteristics of a commodity and commodity market:
1. They have standard and constant value
2. They are scarce
3. They are intermediate
4. They are controllable cost
5. Markets are liquid and competitive i.e. liquidity means the total supply equals total
demands or more or less same and fluctuation due to seasonal imbalance and
changing circumstances. Competitiveness is that large number of buyers and sellers
and perfect knowledge of market.6. There two types of market: centralized and decentralized
Centralized Markets Decentralized marketsAuction market
Centralized exchange
OTC
Posted price
History of commodity trading:
Derivatives as a tool for managing risk first originated in the commodities markets. They
were then found useful as a hedging tool in financial markets as well. In India, trading in
commodity futures has been in existence from the nineteenth century with organized trading
in cotton through the establishment of Cotton Trade Association in 1875. Over a period of
time, other commodities were permitted to be traded in futures exchanges. Regulatory
constraints in 1960s resulted in virtual dismantling of the commodities future markets. It is
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only in the last decade that Commodity future exchanges have been actively encouraged.
However, the markets have been thin with poor liquidity and have not grown to any
significant level.
Evolution of market in India:
Bombay cotton trade association ltd.set up in 1875 was the first organized futures market.
Bombay cotton exchange ltd.was established in1893 following the widespread discontent
among leading cotton mill owners and merchants over functioning at Bombay cotton trade
association. The future trading in oils seed started in 1900 with the establishment of the
Gujarat vyapari mandli, which carried on futures trading in groundnut, castor seed, and
cotton. Futures trading in wheat were existent at several places in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
But the most notable futures exchange for wheat was chamber of commerce at hapur set up
in 1913.futures trading in bullion began in Mumbai in1920calcutta Hessian exchange ltd.was
established in 1919 for futures trading in raw jute and jute goods. But organized futures
trading in raw jute began only in 1945 to form the east India jute and Hessian ltd, to conduct
organized trading in both raw jute and jute goods. Forward contracts act was enacted in 1952
and the forward market commission was established in 1953 under the ministry of consumer
affair and public distribution.
Present scenario:
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Out of these 25 commodities the MCX, NCDEX and NMCE are large exchanges and MCX
is the biggest among them. Forward Markets Commission (FMC) headquartered at Mumbai
is a regulatory authority, which is overseen by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public
Distribution, Govt. of India. It is a statutory body set up in 1953 under the Forward Contracts
(Regulation) Act, 1952.
Commodity derivative
The basic concept of a derivative contract remains the same whether the underlying happens
to be a commodity or a financial asset.
Characteristics of commodity derivatives:
o Due to the bulky nature of the underlying assets, physical settlement in commodity
derivatives creates the need for warehousing.
o In the case of commodities, the quality of the asset underlying a contract can vary largely.
This becomes an important issue to be managed.
Trading tools:
1. FORWARD CONTRACTS:
A forward contract is an agreement to buy or sell an asset on a specified date for a specified
price. One of the parties to the contract assumes a long position and agrees to buy the
underlying asset on a certain specified future date for a certain specified price. The other
party assumes a short position and agrees to sell the asset on the same date for the same
price.
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Other contract details like delivery date, the parties to the contract negotiate price and
quantity bilaterally. The forward contracts are normally traded outside the exchanges. The
salient features of forward contracts are:
They are bilateral contracts and hence exposed to counter party risk.
Each contract is custom designed, and hence is unique in terms of contract size,
expiration date and the asset type and quality.
The contract price is generally not available in public domain.
On the expiration date, the contract has to be settled by delivery of the asset.
If the party wishes to reverse the contract, it has to compulsorily go to the same
counter party, which often results in high prices being charged.
Example of forward contract is foreign exchange market .
Explanation with an example:
Forward contracts are very useful in hedging and speculation. The classic hedging
application would be that of an exporter who expects to receive payment in dollars three
months later. He is exposed to the risk of exchange rate fluctuations. By using the currency
forward market to sell Dollars forward, he can lock on to a rate today and reduce his
uncertainty.
If a speculator has information or analysis, which forecasts an upturn in a price, then he can
go long on the forward market instead of the cash market. The speculator would go long on
the forward, wait for the price to rise, and then take a reversing transaction to book profit
Speculators may well be required to deposit a margin upfront. However, this is generally a
relatively small proportion of the value of the assets underlying the forward contract. The use
of forward markets here supplies leverage to the speculator.
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The disadvantages of forward market are:
1. Lack of liquidity
2. No counter party guarantee
3. No standardization.
2. FUTURES CONTRACT:
A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a certain
time in the future at a certain price. But unlike forward contracts, the futures contracts are
standardized and exchange traded. To facilitate liquidity in the futures contracts, theexchange specifies certain standard features of the contract. It is a standardized contract with
standard underlying instrument, a standard quantity and quality of the underlying instrument
that can be delivered, (or which can be used for reference purposes in settlement) and a
standard timing of such settlement. A futures contract may be offset prior to maturity by
entering into an equal and opposite transaction. More than 99% of futures transactions are
offset this way.
The standardized item in the future is:
o Quantity of the underlying
o Quality of the underlying
o The date and the month of delivery
o The units of price quotation and
o minimum price change
o Location of settlement
Terminology used in futures:
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Spot price : The price at which an asset trades in the spot market.
Futures price : The price at which the futures contract trades in the futures
market.
Contract cycle : The period over which a contract trades. The commodity
futures contracts on the NCDEX have one-month, two-month and three-month expiry
cycles, which expire on the 20 th day of the delivery month. Thus a January expiration
contract expires on the 20th of January and a February expiration contract ceases trading
on the 20th of February. On the next trading day following the 20th, a new contract
having a three-month expiry is introduced for trading. Expiry date : It is the date specified in the futures contract. This is the last day
on which the contract will be traded, at the end of which it will cease to exist.
Delivery unit : The amount of asset that has to be delivered less than one
contract. For instance, the delivery unit for futures on Long Staple Cotton on the NCDEX
is 55 bales. The delivery unit for the Gold futures contract is 1 kg.
Basis : Basis can be defined as the futures price minus the spot price. There
will be a different basis for each delivery month for each contract. In a normal market,
basis will be positive. This rejects that futures prices normally exceed spot prices.
Cost of carry : The relationship between futures prices and spot prices can be
summarized in terms of what is known as the cost of carry. This measures the storage
cost plus the interest that is paid to finance the asset less the income earned on the asset.
Initial margin : The amount that must be deposited in the margin account at
the time a futures contract is first entered into is known as initial margin.
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Marking-to-market (MTM) : In the futures market, at the end of each trading
day, the margin account is adjusted to reflect the investor's gain or loss depending upon
the futures closing price. This is called marking to market.
Maintenance margin : This is somewhat lower than the initial margin. This is
set to ensure that the balance in the margin account never becomes negative. If the
balance in the margin account falls below the maintenance margin, the investor receives a
margin call and is expected to top up the
Basic payoffs
A payoff is the likely profit/ loss that would accrue to a market participant with change in the
price of the underlying asset. This is generally depicted in the form of payoff diagrams,
which show the price of the underlying asset on the X-axis and the profits/ losses on the Y-
axis.
Payoff for futures
Futures contracts have linear payoff, just like the payoff of the underlying asset that we
looked at earlier. If the price of the underlying rises, the buyer makes profits. If the price of
the underlying falls, the buyer makes losses. The magnitude of profits or losses for a given
upward or downward movement is the same. The profits as well as losses for the buyer and
the seller of a futures contract are unlimited. These linear payoffs are fascinating as they can
be combined with options and the underlying to generate various complex payoffs.
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Payoff for buyer of futures: Long futures
The payoff for a person who buys a futures contract is similar to the payoff for a person who
holds an asset. He has a potentially unlimited upside as well as a potentially unlimited
downside.
Figure-1 Payoff for a buyer of gold
The figure shows the profits/ losses from a long position on gold. The investor bought gold at
Rs.6000 per 10 Gms. If the price of gold rises, he profits. If price of gold falls he looses.
Profit
+500
5500 6000 6500
0
-500
Loss
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Figure 2 Payoff for a seller of gold
The figure shows the profits/ losses from a short position on cotton. The investor sold long
staple cotton at Rs.6500 per Quintal. If the price of cotton falls, he profits. If the price of
cotton rises, he looses.
6000 6500 7000
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Figure 3 Payoff for a buyer of gold futures
The figure shows the profits/ losses for a long futures position. The investor bought futures
when gold futures were trading at Rs.6000 per 10 Gms. If the price of the underlying gold
goes up, the gold futures price too would go up and his futures position starts making profit.
If the price of gold falls, the futures price falls too and his futures position starts showing
losses.
Take the case of a speculator who buys a two-month gold futures contract on the NCDEXwhen it sells for Rs.6000 per 10 Gms. The underlying asset in this case is gold. When the
prices of gold in the spot market goes up, the futures price too moves up and the long futures
position start making profits. Similarly when the prices of gold in the spot market goes down,
the futures prices too move down and the long futures position starts making losses.
Profit
6000
Gold future price.
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Loss
Payoff for seller of futures: Short futures
The payoff for a person who sells a futures contract is similar to the payoff for a person who
shorts an asset. He has a potentially unlimited upside as well as a potentially unlimited
downside. Take the case of a speculator who sells a two-month cotton futures contract when
the contract sells Rs.6500 per Quintal. The underlying asset in this case is long staple cotton.
When the prices of long staple cotton move down, the cotton futures prices also move down
and the short futures position starts making profits. When the prices of long staple cottonmove up, the cotton futures price also moves up and the short futures position starts making
losses.
Figure 4 payoff for a seller of cotton futures
The figure shows the profits/ losses for a short futures position. The investor sold cotton
futures at Rs.6500 per Quintal. If the price of the underlying long staple cotton goes down,
the futures price also falls, and the short futures position starts making profit. If the price of
the underlying long staple cotton rises, the futures too rise, and the short futures position
starts showing losses.
Profit
6500
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Loss
How to use the trading tools:
The technique of HEDGING:
Many participants in the commodity futures market are hedgers. They use the futures market
to reduce a particular risk that they face. This risk might relate to the price of wheat or oil or
any other commodity that the person deals in. The classic hedging example is that of wheat
farmer who wants to hedge the risk of fluctuations in the price of wheat around the time that
his crop is ready for harvesting. By selling his crop forward, he obtains a hedge by locking in
to a predetermined price.
What hedging does however is, that it makes the outcome more certain. Hedgers could be
government institutions, private corporations like financial institutions, trading companies
and even other participants in the value chain, for instance farmers, extractors, ginners,
processors etc., who are influenced by the commodity prices.
Basic principles of hedging: When an individual or a company decides to use the futures
markets to hedge a risk, the objective is to take a position that neutralizes the risk as much as
possible. Take the case of a company that knows that it will gain Rs.1, 00,000 for each 1
rupee increase in the price of a commodity over the next three months and will lose Rs.1,
00,000 for each 1 rupee decrease in the price of a commodity over the same period. To
hedge, the company should take a short futures position that is designed to offset this risk.The futures position should lead to a loss of Rs.1, 00,000 for each 1-rupee increase in the
price of the commodity over the next three months and a gain of Rs.1, 00,000 for each 1-
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rupee decrease in the price during this period. If the price of the commodity goes down, the
gain on the futures position offsets the loss on the commodity.
Figure .1 Payoffs for buyer of a short hedge
The figure shows the payoff for a soy oil producer who takes a short hedge. Irrespective of
what the spot price of soy oil is three months later, by going in for a short hedge he locks on
to a price of Rs.450 per MT.
Price of Soya oil
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The price of the commodity goes up, the loss on the futures position is offset by the gain on
the commodity.
There are basically two kinds of hedges that can be taken. A company that wants to sell an
asset at a particular time in the future can hedge by taking short futures position. This is
called a short hedge . Similarly, a company that knows that it is due to buy an asset in the
future can hedge by taking long futures position. This is known as long hedge .
Short hedge
A short hedge is appropriate when the hedger already owns the asset, or is likely to own the
asset and expects to sell it at some time in the future. For example, a cotton farmer whoexpects the cotton crop to be ready for sale in the next two months could use a short hedge.
Example:
15th of January and that a refined soy oil producer has just negotiated a contract to sell
10,000 Kgs of soy oil. It has been agreed that the price that will apply in the contract is the
market price on the 15th April. The oil producer is therefore in a position where he will gain
Rs.10000 each 1 rupee increase in the price of oil over the next three months and lose
Rs.10000 for each one rupee decrease in the price of oil during this period. Suppose the spot
price for soy oil on January 15 is Rs.450 per 10 Kgs and the April soy oil futures price on the
NCDEX is Rs.465 per 10 Kgs. The producer can hedge his exposure by selling 10,000 Kgs
worth of April futures contracts (10 units). If the oil producers closes his position on April
15, the effect of the strategy would be to lock in a price close to Rs.465 per 10 Kgs. On April
15, the spot price can either be above Rs.465 or below Rs.465.
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Case 1 : The spot price is Rs.455 per 10 Kgs. The company realizes Rs.4, 55,000 under its
sales contract. Because April is the delivery month for the futures contract, the futures price
on April 15 should be very close to the spot price of Rs.455 on that date. The company closes
its short futures position at Rs.455, making a gain of Rs.465 - Rs.455 = Rs.10 per 10 Kgs, or
Rs.10, 000 on its short futures position. The total amount realized from both the futures
position and the sales contract is therefore about Rs.465 per 10 Kgs, Rs.4, 65,000 in total.
Case 2 : The spot price is Rs.475 per 10 Kgs. The company realizes Rs.4, 75,000 under its
sales contract. Because April is the delivery month for the futures contract, the futures price
on April 15 should be very close to the spot price of Rs.475 on that date. The company closesits short futures position at Rs.475, making a loss of Rs.475 - Rs.465 = Rs.10 per 10 Kgs, or
Rs.10, 000 on its short futures position. The total amount realized from both the futures
position and the sales contract is therefore about Rs.465 per 10 Kgs, Rs.4, 65,000 in total.
Long hedge:
A long hedge is appropriate when a company knows it will have to purchase a certain asset in
the future and wants to lock in a price now. Suppose that it is now January 15. A firm
involved in industrial fabrication knows that it will require 300 Kgs of silver on April 15 to
meet a certain contract. The spot price of silver is Rs.1680
The payoff for an industrial fabricator who takes a long hedge. Irrespective of what the spot
price of silver is three months later, by going in for a long hedge he locks on to a price of
Rs.1730 per kg.
The payoff for the buyer of a long hedge. Let us look at how this works. On April 15, the
spot price can either be above Rs.1730 or below Rs.1730.
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Case 1 : The spot price is Rs.1780 per kg. The fabricator pays rs.5, 34,000 to buy the silver
from the spot market. Because April is the delivery month for the futures contract, the futures
price on April 15 should be very close to the spot price of Rs.1780 on that date. The company
closes its long futures position at Rs.1780, making a gain of Rs.1780 - Rs.1730 = Rs.50 per
kg, or Rs.15, 000 on its long futures position. The effective cost of silver purchased works
out to be about Rs.1730 per MT, or Rs.5, 19,000 in total.
Case 2 : The spot price is Rs.1690 per MT. The fabricator pays Rs.5, 07,000 to buy the silver
from the spot market. Because April is the delivery month for the futures contract, the futures
price on April 15 should be very close to the spot price of Rs.1690 on that date. The companycloses its long futures position at Rs.1690, making a loss of Rs.1730 - Rs.1690 = Rs.40 per
kg, or Rs.12, 000 on its long futures position. The effective cost of silver purchased works
out to be about Rs.1730 per MT, or Rs.5, 19,000 in total. Note that the purpose of hedging is
not to make profits, but to lock on to a price to be paid in the future upfront. In the industrial
fabricator example, since prices of silver rose in three months, on hind sight it would seem
that the company would have been better off buying the silver in January and holding it. But
this would involve incurring interest cost and warehousing costs. Besides, if the prices of
silver fell in April, the company would have not only incurred interest and storage costs, but
would also have ended up buying silver at a much higher price. In the examples above we
assume that the futures position is closed out in the delivery month. The hedge has the same
basic effect if delivery is allowed to happen. However, making or taking delivery can be a
costly process. In most cases, delivery is not made even when the hedger keeps the futures
contract until the delivery month. Hedgers with long positions usually avoid any possibility
of having to take delivery by closing out their positions before the delivery period.
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Advantages of hedging:
Besides the basic advantage of risk management, hedging also has other advantages:
1. Hedging stretches the marketing period. For example, a livestock feeder does not have to
wait until his cattle are ready to market before he can sell them. The futures market permits
him to sell futures contracts to establish the approximate sale price at any time between the
time he buys his calves for feeding and the time the fed cattle are ready to market, some four
to six months later. He can take advantage of good prices even though the cattle are not ready
for market.2. Hedging protects inventory values. For example, a merchandiser with a large, unsold
inventory can sell futures contracts that will protect the value of the inventory, even if the
price of the commodity drops.
3. Hedging permits forward pricing of products. For example, a jewelry manufacturer can
determine the cost for gold, silver or platinum by buying a futures contract, translate that to a
price for the finished products, and make forward sales to stores at firm prices. Having made
the forward sales, the manufacturer can use his capital to acquire only as much gold, silver,
or platinum as may be needed to make the products that will fill its orders.
Limitation of hedging: basis Risk
Hedging can only minimize the risk but cannot fully eliminate it. The loss made during
selling of an asset may not always be equal to the profits made by taking a short futures
position. This is because the value of the asset sold in the spot market and the value of the
asset underlying the future contract may not be the same. This is called the basis risk. In our
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examples, the hedger was able to identify the precise date in the future when an asset would
be bought or sold. The hedger was then able to use the perfect futures contract to remove
almost all the risk arising out of price of the asset on that date. In reality, this may not always
be possible for a various reasons.
The asset whose price is to be hedged may not be exactly the same as the asset
underlying the futures contract. For example, in India we have a large number of varieties
of cotton being cultivated. It is impractical for an exchange to have futures contracts with
all these varieties of cotton as an underlying.
The hedger may be uncertain as to the exact date when the asset will be bought or sold. Often the hedge may require the futures contract to be closed out well before its
expiration date. This could result in an imperfect hedge.
The expiration date of the hedge may be later than the delivery date of the futures
contract. When this happens, the hedger would be required to close out the futures
contracts entered into and take the same position in futures contracts with a later delivery
date.
The technique of SPECULATION:
An entity having an opinion on the price movements of a given commodity can speculate
using the commodity market. Commodities are bulky products and come with all the costs
and procedures of handling these products. The commodities futures markets provide
speculators with an easy mechanism to speculate on the price of underlying commodities.
To trade commodity futures on the mcx, a customer must open a futures trading account with
a commodity derivatives broker. Buying futures simply involves putting in the margin
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money. This enables futures traders to take a position in the underlying commodity without
having to actually hold that commodity. With the purchase of futures contract on a
commodity, the holder essentially makes a legally binding promise or obligation to buy the
underlying security at some point in the future (the expiration date of the contract)
Speculation: Bullish commodity, buy futures
Take the case of a speculator who has a view on the direction of the price movements of
gold. Perhaps he knows that towards the end of the year due to festivals and the upcoming
wedding season, the prices of gold are likely to rise. He would like to trade based on this
view. Gold trades for Rs.6000 per 10 Gms in the spot market and he expects its price to go
up in the next two three months. How can he trade based on this belief? In the absence of a
deferral product, he would have to buy gold and hold on to it. Suppose he buys a 1 kg of
gold, which costs him Rs.6, 00,000. Suppose further that his hunch proves correct and three
months later gold trades at Rs.6400 per 10 Gms. He makes a profit of Rs.40, 000 on an
investment of Rs.6, 00,000 for a period of three months. This works out to an annual return
of about 26 percent. Today a speculator can take exactly the same position on gold by using
gold futures contracts. Let us see how this works. Gold trades at Rs.6000 per 10 Gms and
three-month gold futures trades at Rs.6150. The unit of trading is 100 Gms and the delivery
unit for the gold futures contract on the NCDEX is 1 kg. He buys One kg of gold futures,
which have a value of Rs.6, 15,000. Buying an asset in the futures market only requiresmaking margin payments. To take this position, he pays a margin of Rs.1, 20,000. Three
months later gold trades at Rs.6400 per 10 Gms. As we know, on the day of expiration, the
futures price converges to the spot price (else there would be a risk free arbitrage
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opportunity). He closes his long futures position at Rs.6400 in the process making a profit of
Rs.25, 000 on an initial margin investment of Rs.1, 20,000. This works out to an annual
return of 83 percent. Because of the leverage they provide, commodity futures form an
attractive tool for speculators.
Bearish commodity, sell futures
A speculator who believes that there is likely to be excess supply of a particular commodity
in the near future and hence the prices are likely to see a fall can also use commodity futures.
How can he trade based on this opinion? In the absence of a deferral product, there wasn'tmuch he could do to profit from his opinion. Today all he needs to do is sell commodity
futures. Let us understand how this works. Simple arbitrage ensures that the price of a futures
contract on a commodity moves correspondingly with the price of the underlying
commodity. If the commodity price rises, so will the futures price. If the commodity price
falls, so will the futures price. Now take the case of the trader who expects to see a fall in the
price of cotton. He sells ten two month cotton futures contract, which is for delivery of 550
bales of cotton. The value of the contract is Rs.4, 00,000. He pays a small margin on the
same. Three months later, if his hunch were correct the price of cotton falls. So does the price
of cotton futures. He close out his short futures position at Rs.3, 50,000, making a profit of
Rs.50, 000.
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The technique of ARBITRAGE:
A central idea in modern economics is the law of one price . This states that in a competitive
market, if two assets are equivalent from the point of view of risk and return, they should sell
at the same price. If the price of the same asset is different in two markets, there will be
operators who will buy in the market where the asset sells cheap and sell in the market where
it is costly. This activity termed as arbitrage , involves the simultaneous purchase and sale of
the same or essentially similar security in two different markets for advantageously different
prices. The buying cheap and selling expensive continues till prices in the two markets reach
equilibrium. Hence, arbitrage helps to equalize prices and restore market efficiency.
Whenever the futures price deviates substantially from its fair value, arbitrage opportunities
arise. To capture mispricing that result in overpriced futures, the arbitrager must sell futures
and buy spot, whereas to capture mispricing that result in under priced futures, the arbitrager
must sell spot and buy futures. In the case of investment commodities, mispricing wouldresult in both, buying the spot and holding it or selling the spot and investing the proceeds.
However, in the case of consumption assets, which are held primarily for reasons of usage,
even if there exists a mispricing, a person who holds the underlying may
not want to sell it to profit from the arbitrage.
Overpriced commodity futures: buy spot, sell futures
An arbitrager notices that gold futures seem overpriced. How can he cash in on this
opportunity to earn risk less profits? Say for instance, gold trades for Rs.600 per gram in the
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spot market. Three month gold futures on the NCDEX trade at Rs.625 and seem overpriced.
He could make risk less profit by entering into the following set of transactions.
1. On day one, borrow Rs.60, 07,460 at 6% per annum to cover the cost of buying and
holding gold.
Buy 10 Kgs of gold on the cash/ spot market at Rs.60, 00,000. Pay (310 + 7150) as
warehouse costs.
(We assume that fixed charge is Rs.310 per deposit up to 500 Kgs. and the variable storage
costs are Rs.55 per kg per week for 13 weeks).
2. Simultaneously, sell 10 gold futures contract at Rs.62, 50,000.3. Take delivery of the gold purchased and hold it for three months.
4. On the futures expiration date, the spot and the futures price converge. Now unwind the
position.
5. Say gold closes at Rs.615 in the spot market. Sell the gold for Rs.61, 50,000.
6. Futures position expires with profit of Rs.1, 00,000.
7. From the Rs.62, 50,000 held in hand, return the borrowed amount plus interest of
Rs.60, 98,251.
8. The result is a risk less profit of Rs.1, 51,749.
When does it make sense to enter into this arbitrage? If the cost of borrowing funds to buy
the commodity is less than the arbitrage profit possible, it makes sense to arbitrage. This is
termed as cash and carry arbitrage. Remember however, that exploiting an arbitrage
opportunity involves trading on the spot and futures market. In the real world, one has to
build in the transactions costs into the arbitrage strategy.
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Under priced commodity futures: buy futures, sell spot
An arbitrager notices that gold futures seem under priced. How can he cash in on this
opportunity to earn risk less profits say for instance, gold trades for Rs.600 per gram in the
spot market Three month gold futures on the NCDEX trade at Rs.605 and seem under priced.
If he happens to hold gold, he could make risk less profit by entering into the following set of
transactions.
1. On day one, sell 10 Kgs of gold in the spot market at Rs.60, 00,000.
2. Invest the Rs.60, 00,000 plus the Rs.7150 saved by way of warehouse costs for three
months 6%.
3. Simultaneously, buy three-month gold futures on NCDEX at Rs.60, 50,000.
4. Suppose the price of gold is Rs.615 per gram. On the futures expiration date, the spot and
the futures price of gold converge. Now unwind the position.
5. The gold sales proceeds grow to Rs.60, 97,936.
6. The futures position expires with a profit of Rs.1, 00,000.
7. Buy back gold at Rs.61, 50,000 on the spot market.
8. The result is a risk less profit of Rs.47, 936.
If the returns you get by investing in risk less instruments is more than the return from the
Arbitrage trades; it makes sense for you to arbitrage. This is termed as reverse cash and carry
arbitrage. It is this arbitrage activity that ensures that the spot and futures prices stay in linewith the cost carry. As we can see, exploiting arbitrage involves trading on the spot market.
As more and more players in the market develop the knowledge and skills to do cash-and-
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carry and reverse cash-and-carry, we will see increased volumes and lower spreads in both
the cash as well as the derivatives market.
Operational mechanism with respect to the trading of commodities at MCX:
MCX is designed in a manner to ensure that it broad bases the market participation by
making its operations inclusive and expansive, but at the same time building in sufficient
measures that would ensure the safety and integrity of the market is maintained at all times.
Moreover, in order to provide a strong correlation between the Physicals and Futures
markets, and based on Indias long history of trade practice continuing since over 100 years,MCX provides for settlement of all open positions at the end of the contract through delivery.
The salient features of the MCX market framework include the following:
Matching System - Order Driven system of matching based on the logic of price-time priority
Margins Initial margins are computed and adjusted online whereas the Mark to Market
margins are collected by the next day. The business is based on the deposit contribution
made by the Members to MCX that is earmarked online with every trade. Thus, Members
are able to take only such positions as their deposit entitles them, based on the commodity
specific margin utilization.
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Guarantee MCX, through its Settlement Guarantee Fund, guarantees the net settlement
liability of futures contract executed in the Exchange as per its Rules, Byelaws, Business
Rules and Regulations.
Settlement - All net outstanding futures contracts during the delivery period may be settled
by delivery of the underlying commodity. The objective is to ensure that MCX is able to
maintain close association between the Futures Market and the Physical Market.
Delivery - To start with the trade practice, which has been in existence in the country for
over 100 years that delivery will be sellers option and the Buyers obligation, has beenadopted. However, going forward, should the market desire so, suitable amendments can be
done to make the delivery rules, inclined to the market requirements.
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PART-III
COMMODITY PROFILE
SILVER:
Silvers unique properties make its a very useful Industrial Commodity, despite it being
classed as a precious metal.
Demand: Demand for silver is built on three main pillars; industrial uses, photography and jewelry & silverware accounting for 342, 205 and 259 million ounces respectively in 2002.
1. In terms of fabrication demand, silver possesses many physical characteristics, which
make it a key component in numerous products used on a daily basis. The main uses for
silver are in:
2. Jewelry and silverware,3. Photographic films and papers, and
4. Electrical contacts and connectors.
5. Mirror, medical instruments, dental alloys, brazing alloys, silver-bearing batteries,
and bearings.
Briefing of demand:
Together, industrial and decorative uses, photography and jewelry and silverware
represent more than 95% of annual silver consumption.
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Industrial use of silver is the largest component of silver fabrication demand, with
silver being used in a wide range of products. Electrical and electronics applications
account for the largest area of industrial silver off take, (roughly 85% of the silver
demand)
Jewelry and silverware fabrication demand represents second largest component of
the silver demand.
World demand of silver:
Demand Drivers 2002 (in tons) 2003 (in tons)Fabrication- Industrial Application 341.4 351.2- Photography 205.7 196.1- Jewelry & Silverware 265.9 276.7- Coins & Medals 32.8 35.3Total Fabrication 845.8 859.2
Net Government Purchases - -Producer De- hedging 24.8 21.0
Implied Net Investment - -
Total Demand 870.7 880.2.
Supply:
The supply of silver is based on two facts: mine production and recycled silver scraps. Mine
production is surprisingly the largest components of silver supply. It normally accounts for a
little less than two third of the total
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Silver is often mined as by product of other base metal production, which accounts
for r-fifth of the total supply.
Other sources of supply are scrap: it is the silver that returns to the market when
recovered from the existing manufactured goods and wastes. it makes fifth of the supply.
Disinvestments
Government sales.
Producers hedging
Recycling
PRODUCTION:
In many instances, silver occurs in ores along with gold, copper, lead, zinc and other metals.
In many mines, the primary product is one of these metals, with silver being a by-product. At
some mines, silver is the sole product or main co-product.
Just over half of mined silver comes from Mexico, Peru and United States, respectively, the
first, second and fourth largest producing countries. The third largest is Australia.
Silver occurs in the metallic state, commonly associated with gold, copper, lead, and
zinc. It is also found in some 60 minerals including: argentite (a sulfide), cerargyrite (a
chloride), many other sulfides and telluride.
Relative abundance in solar system: -0.313 log
Abundance earth's crust: -1.2 log
The amount of silver extracted from primary silver mines fell, while silver mined as a
co-product of copper, lead, zinc, gold, or poly-metallic deposits rose.
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Growth in silver bearing products worldwide has also led to increases in the amount
of silver recovered from scrap recycling. Most scrap comes from photographic materials,
jewelry, and silverware.
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2002 World Mine Production of Silver by Source
World Silver Supply from Aboveground Stocks
World Silver Supply and Demand (million ounces)
(Totals may not add due to rounding)
Supply 2002 2003
Mine Production 596.4 595.6 Net government Sales 61.2 82.6Oil Silver Scrap 186.8 199.6Producer hedging - -Implied net disinvestments 26.2 10.4Total Supply 870.7 880.2
Indian Scenario
Silver imports into India for domestic consumption in 2002 was 3,400 tons down 25 % from
record 4,540 tons in 2001.
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Open General License (OGL) imports are the only significant source of supply to the Indian
market.
Non-duty paid silver for the export sector rose sharply in 2002, up by close to 200% year-
on-year to 150 tons.
Around 50% of Indias silver requirements last year were met through imports of Chinese
silver and other important sources of supply being UK, CIS, Australia and Dubai.
Indian industrial demand in 2002 is estimated at 1375 tons down by 13 % from 1,579 tons in
2001. In spite of this fall, India is still one of the largest users of silver in the world, ranking
alongside those Industrial giants, Japan and the United States.
By contrast with United States and Japan, Indian industrial off take for fabrication in
hardcore industrial applications like electronics and brazing alloys accounts for only 15 %
and the rest being for foils for use in the decorative covering of food, plating of jewelry and
silverware and jari.
In India silver price volatility is also an important determinant of silver demand as it is for
gold.
India Industrial Fabrication, 2002:
PercentagePharmacy & Chemicals 22.4Foil 9.0Plating 13.7
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Solders & Brazing 5.4Electrical 13.5Photography 0.85Jari 17.1
World Markets
London Bullion Market is the global hub of OTC (Over-The-Counter) trading in
silver. Comex futures in New York is where most fund activity is focused.
Frequency Distribution of Silver London Fixing Volatility from 1995 till date
Percentage Change
>7 % 5-7% 3-5%
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Less than one third of golds total accumulated holdings are as a commodity for
jewelry in Western markets and usage in industry.
Gold market is highly liquid and gold held by central banks, other major institutions
and retail jewelry keep coming back to the market.
Economic forces that determine the price of gold are different from, and in many
cases opposed to the forces that influence most financial assets.
South Africa is the world's largest gold producer with 394 tons in 2001, followed by
US and Australia.
India is the world's largest gold consumer with an annual demand of 800 tons.
Demand:
Industrial uses:
Gold possesses a unique combination of properties that have resulted in its use in a wide
range of industrial applications. These applications in total account for a current
consumption of approximately 450 tonnes of gold per annum..
Gold and its alloys have been used for decorative purposes .
The most significant uses of gold in electronics
A number of gold products are used in dentistry.
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Gold is not a liability of any government or corporation it does not, unlike currencies, bonds
and equities, run any risk of becoming worthless through the default of the issuer. In more
recent times its role as an excellent portfolio diversifier. Since, unlike jeweler and industrial
demand, investment is measured on a net basis this makes it appear more volatile. However
interest in gold also rises and falls as a result of the political and economic situation; its role
as a safe haven often prompts buying during time of worry or uncertainty.
Investment holdings (institutional and retail) account for 16% of the total stocks of gold .
Over the last five years net retail investment has accounted for 13% of total demand. Its
share of gold stocks is greater than its share of demand, due to the greater importanceinvestment had as a share of demand in earlier years.
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Due to large stocks of gold as against its demand, it is argued that the core driver of the real
price of gold is stock equilibrium rather that the flow equilibrium
SUPPLY:
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The main suppliers of gold are Grasberg, Australia, Russia, Switzerland, Netherlands,
Germany and Greece. Gold is produced in every continent except for Antarctica.
The main sources of supply are:
1. Mining
2. Scrap
3. Hedging activity
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Mine Production by major region, 2003(total, 2,593 tonnes)
PRODUCTION: The grade of ore refers to the proportion of gold contained in the ore of a
particular mine and is quoted in grams per tonnes (g/t). The type of mine depends on the
depth and grade of the ore. At a rough estimate, the larger, better quality South African
South Africa 14% 376 tonnes
USA 11% 285 tonnes
Australia 11% 284 tonnes
China 8%
Russia 7%
Peru 7% 172 tonnes
Indonesia 6% 163 tonnes
Canada 5%
Other Latin America 9%
Other Asia 6%
Other Africa 9%
Other CIS 5%
Rest of World 1%
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underground operations are around 8-10g/t (Anglogold), while the marginal South African
underground mines run at around 4-6g/t. Many of the operations elsewhere in the world are
open pit mines, which run at lower grades, from as little as 1g/t up to around 3-4g/t. A more
significant piece of information than average gold mining grade is cost per ounce, which is a
combination of grade (grams/tonnes) and operating costs (USD/tonnes).
COST OF PRODUCTION:
Production costs vary widely, according to the nature of the mine, be it open pit or
underground and at what depth, the nature and distribution of the ore-body (and byimplication the metallurgy which affects processing techniques) and the grade. Average
quoted cash costs for 2003 were estimated by GFMS at US$222/ounce with total cash costs
(including depreciation, amortization, reclamation and mine closure costs) at US$278/ounce.
ABOVE THE GROUND GOLD:
RECYCLED GOLD:
In the statistics, scrap is defined as being gold that has been sourced from old fabricated
products that have been recovered and refined back into bars. It does not include jewellery
that has simply been traded in and resold without being re-refined, or resold investment bars
and coins.
Most recycled gold generated originates from jewellery. Smaller amounts come from
recuperated electronics components and, at times, from investment bars and coins.
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The supply of scrap depends largely on economic circumstances and on the behavior sof the
gold price. It is common practice in the Middle East and Asia for customers to trade in one
piece of jewellery in exchange for another, and the piece traded in may be melted down
rather than simply being resold. But gold can also be sold for cash either if the owner has
need of money or if the owner wants to cash in a profit following a rise in the gold price. It
follows that scrap supply typically rises in times of economic distress or following a price
rise.
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JEWELLERY:
JEWELLERY is not a homogenous market globally. Its use, the type of jewellery acquired
and the conditions under which it is bought and sold are determined by custom and usage
which vary both from country to country and also within countries according to social
factors. A broad - although somewhat oversimplified - distinction can be made between two
types of jewellery: that which is primarily for adornment; and that which is also bought as a
means of saving.
World scenario:
In recent years retail investment in gold has been largely concentrated in a few countries.
These are
The USA, Turkey where the official gold coin is widely used for savings and is also
used as currency
Vietnam due to the use of gold for the purchase of property
India due to the high propensity to use gold for savings
Japan where saving plans encourage regular purchases and where banking crises and
other economic fears often encourage surges in buying.
Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States are also
normally net investors although at a lower rate.
In China latent demand has been heavily restrained due to regulations largely
prohibiting investment.
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London as the great clearing house
New York as the home of futures trading
Zurich as a physical turntable
Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong as doorways to important consuming
regions
Tokyo where TOCOM sets the mood of Japan
Mumbai under India's liberalized gold regime
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India in world gold industry
(Rounded Figures)
India
(In Tons)
World
(In Tons)% Share
Total Stocks 13000 145000 9Central Bank holding 400 28000 1.4Annual Production 2 2600 0.08Annual Recycling 100-300 1100-1200 13Annual Demand 800 3700 22Annual Imports 600 --- ---Annual Exports 60 --- ---
Indian Gold Market
Gold is valued in India as a savings and investment vehicle and is the second
preferred investment after bank deposits.
India is the worlds largest consumer of gold in jewellery as investment.
In July 1997 the RBI authorized the commercial banks to import gold for sale or loan
to jewelers and exporters. At present, 13 banks are active in the import of gold.
This reduced the disparity between international and domestic prices of gold from 57
percent during 1986 to 1991 to 8.5 percent in 2001.
The gold hoarding tendency is well ingrained in Indian society.
Domestic consumption is dictated by monsoon, harvest and marriage season. Indian
jewellery off take is sensitive to price increases and even more so to volatility.
In the cities gold is facing competition from the stock market and a wide range of
consumer goods.
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Facilities for refining, assaying, making them into standard bars in India, as compared
to the rest of the world, are insignificant, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Frequency Dist. of Gold London Fixing Volatility from 1995 till date
Percentage
Change
> 5% 2 - 5 % < 2%
Daily Number of times 4 54 2147Percentage times 0.2 2.4 97.4Weekly
Number of times 3 62 376Percentage times 0.7 14.1 85.3
Biggest Price Movement since 1995
Between September 24 and October 5, 1999, daily prices witnessed a rally of more than 21
%, based on surprised announcement by 15 European central banks of a five-year suspension
on all new sales of gold from their reserves.
GOLD SCENARIO IN OTHER MKTS:
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In the Middle and Far East , where financial and banking are not fully developed or
available, universally takes the form of high carat, heavy jewelry. Sold at a low markup it
can easily be turned into bullion.
In the more affluent Western countries , it is more often-low carat, high design and
high margin fashion jewelry. For this type of jewelry the demand is more income related
than it is price sensitive
Most of the increase in for gold comes from extremely price sensitive markets, such
as the Middle East and the Indian Sub Continent. The typical investor there, unlike his
counterpart in the West, is far more rational and invests for the long haul. They tend to
buy when prices are low and sell when prices are high, which is the reverse of many
Western short-term momentum traders.
As developing countries prosper and urbanize, they tend to switch towards Western
style fashion jewelry. In rural India, it is regarded as the property of women; a haven
against divorce or widowhood. Two-thirds of Indian gold is held in rural India.
Eleven years ago, when India deregulated the gold trade, consumption began to climb
from 200 tons per annum to 900 tons in 2003. Today, China consumes an average 0.02
grams per capita, the same as India before gold was deregulated. Over 90% of Chinese
gold purchases go towards jewelry, for which is growing at over 15% per annum.
Goldfields Minerals Services estimates that private investors own 15% of the above-
ground stock of gold (exclusive of jewelry), with the fastest growth occurring in the
Eastern Asian developing countries. GMS also estimates that from 1993 to 2000 retail
investment accounted for a mere 7% of total
OTHER FACTS:
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1. The gold price is usually quoted in US dollars per troy ounce. To calculate the cost of
one gram of gold, divide the US dollar price for one troy ounce by 31.1035 (one fine troy
ounce is equal to 31.1035 grams).
2. The price movements of the gold and of sensex has been in opposite or near opposite
direction.
3. Price movement of gold in relation with the dollar is also negatively related.
4. While it is true that bullion responds to adversity in the short run, its trend in the long
run is a function of widened world prosperity, which in turn leads to an enlarged market
for jewery.over half of the ever mined currently resides in the form of jewelry. As eachyear passes, this percentage increases.
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FACTORS AFFECTING GOLD PRICES:
1. Dollars
2. Interest rates
3. Political situation
4. Comparative returns on stock markets
5. Prices in the other market
6. Income of the people.
7. Business economic cycle.
8. Above ground supply from sales by central banks, reclaimed scrap and official gold
loans
9. Producer / miner hedging interest
9. Domestic demand based on monsoon and agricultural output
The peak year for scrap sales occurred during the 1997 / 1998 Asian financial crisis, whereas
the 2001 / 2002 increase was mostly due to profit taking as the price increased.
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PART-IV
FUNDAMANTAL AND TECHNICAL ANALYSIS:
FUNDAMANTAL ANALYSIS:
FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS is based on the study of factors external to the trading
markets, which affect the supply and demand of a particular market. It is in stark contrast to
technical ANALYSIS since it focuses, not on price but on factors like weather, government
policies, domestic and foreign political and economic events and changing trade prospects
fundamental analysis theorizes that by monitoring relevant supply and demand factors for a
particular market, a state of current or potential disequilibria of market conditions may be
identified before the state has been reflected in the price level of that market. Fundamental
analysis assumes that markets are imperfect that information is not instantaneouslyassimilated or disseminated and that econometric models can be constructed to generate
equilibrium prices, which may indicate that current prices are inconsistent with underlying
economic conditions, and will, accordingly, change in the future.
Another definition:
It is an approach to analyzing market behavior that stresses the study of underlying factors of
supply and demand. It is done in the belief that such analysis will enable one to profit by
being able to anticipate price trends. A Fundamentalist is a market observer-and/or
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participant who relies principally on Supply/demand considerations in price forecasting.
Components of fundamental analysis
Supply:
Weather
Acres planted to a crop
Government Programs
USDA Reports
Demand:
USDA Reports
Domestic usage - Feed & processing
Value of the Dollar
Actions of Other Countries
Exports
Transportation
TECHNICAL ANALAYSIS:
Technical analysis operates on the theory that market prices at any given point in time reflect
all known factors affecting supply and demand for a particular market. Consequently,
technical analysis focuses, not on evaluating those factors directly, but on an analysis of
market prices themselves. This approach theorize that a detailed analysis of, among other
things, actual daily, weekly and monthly price fluctuations is the most effective means of
attempting to capitalize on the future course of price movements. Technical strategies
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generally utilize a series of mathematical measurements and calculations designed to monitor
market activity. Trading decisions are based on signals generated by charts, manual
calculations, computers or their combinations.
ANALYSIS OF COMMODITY WHEAT:
BRIEF HISTORY OF FUTURES IN WHEAT IN INDIA:
India has a very long tradition of commodity futures. It was having sporadic of futures
markets almost all over the country in not only such diverse cash crops as Cotton, Oilseeds,
and Raw jute and their products but also food grains. Futures trading started with the setting
up of Bombay Cotton Trade Association in 1875. The organized futures trading started in
1922 by the East India Cotton Organization. More and more commodities were added
between 20s and 40s, for futures trading like Groundnut, Groundnut oil, Raw jute, Jute
goods, Castor seed, Wheat, Rice, Sugar, Gold and Silver. This was indicative of a very long
tradition of commodity futures in our country. This is on the basis of recorded regulation in
various provinces in pre-independence time. But sporadic futures trading are heard even prior
to that. Teji, mandi, gali, phataks are the derivatives of futures heard happening centuries
ago.
Wheat markets were in existence in several centers of Punjab and UP. The prominent and
active was the Chamber Of Commerce of Hapur, which was established in 1913. Other
markets were located at Amritsar, Moga, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Bhatinda, in Punjab and at
Meerut, Hathras, Saharan and Barreily in UP.
Futures trading in wheat have been taking place since long back at various renowned
commodity exchanges of world like Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) in Chicago; USA,
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Winnipeg Commodity Exchange in Canada, Kansas City Board of Trade in Kansas, USA,
Minneapolis Grains in Missouri, USA and many other exchanges located in Japan, Australia,
and East European countries.
This bears testimony to the fact that the food grains are suitable for futures trading. With
evolution of scientific grades and standards, scientific warehousing systems and practices,
advances in transportation and communication, trading, clearing and settlement systems
provides the necessary environment of competitive futures market.
WHEAT SCENARIO IN INDIA:
Wheat is one of the most important staple food grains of human race. India produces about
70 million tones of wheat per year or about 12 per cent of world production. It is now the
second largest producer of wheat in the world. Being the second largest in population, it is
also the second largest in wheat consumption after China, with a huge and growing wheat
demand.
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA UNDER WHEAT CULTIVATION:
It is cultivated from a sea level up to even 10,000 feet. More than 95 percent of the wheat
area in India is situated north of a line drawn from Bombay to Calcutta and also in Mysore
and Madras in small amounts.
The Major Wheat producing states in India is placed in the Northern hemisphere of the
country with UP, Punjab and Haryana contributing to nearly 80% of the total wheat
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production (Chart
Sh are of Major Wh eat Produ cing States in Ind iaaverage-in % )
Uttar Prad es41 %
Punjab24 %
Haryan13 %
Madhya Prades12 %
Rajastha10 %
TYPES OF WHEAT SIMILARITY BETWEEN INDIA & INTERNATIONAL:
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Types
Regions
Uses
Seasons
Indian varieties*
Soft Red Winter Wheat
Eastern US
(Great Lakes
Area)
Cakes, Cookies,
Snacks
Winter
Dara, Kalyan,
Mexican, Sharbati,
147-Avg. Lok-1
Hard Red Winter
Wheat(predominant)
Southern &
Central Plains
of US
Bread
Winter
Dara, Kalyan,
Mexican, Sharbati,
147-Avg. Lok-1Hard Red Spring Wheat Northern Plains Bread
Spring
None
Durum Wheat Northern Plains Spaghetti,
macaroni, pasta
Spring
Desi (Durum)
White Wheat Pacific and
Northwest
Cakes, Cookies,
snacks
Spring
&Winter
Dara, Kalyan,
Mexican, Sharbati,
147-Avg, Lok-1
NOTE: Dara variety produced all over in India (Maximum production), Desi (Durum)
produced all over in India, Lok-1 in Gujarat and part of MP& Rajsthan,
Kalyan in U.P., 147 Average produced in Sahajanpur (U.P.), Sharbati in
M.P., Mexican produced in Kota (Rajasthan)
TRENDS IN AREA, PRODUCTION AND PRODUCTIVITY OF WHEAT IN INDIA :
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Production of Wheat in India as can be seen from Chart 2 has shown a rising trend in the past
5 decades. However, there was a steep jump in production of wheat during 1960-70 to 1970-
1980 by nearly 109%. The Green Revolution in the 1960s contributed to this phenomenal
rise in wheat production in the country over the decade. However, following 1980s, there
has been a consistent declining trend in production of Wheat in India. For instance, the
production of Wheat rose by just 61% from 1970-1980 to 1980-1990. In recent years, there
has been a worsening trend with wheat production actually growing by just 7% from 2000-01
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to 2001-02. (Please refer to Table 1)
Production of Wheat (MMT) over the past 5 decades
8.36
13.3
27.78
44.76
63.91
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1950-51 to 1960 1960-61 to 1970 1970-71 to 1980 1980-81 to 1990 1990-99 to 2000
Years
P r o d u c
t i o n o f
W h e a
t ( i n M M T )
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Production of Wheat (MMT) over the past 5 decades
8.36
13.3
27.78
44.76
63.91
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1950-51 to 1960 1960-61 to 1970 1970-71 to 1980 1980-81 to 1990 1990-99 to 2000
Years
P r o
d u c
t i o n o f
W h e a
t ( i n M M T )
For nearly a decade, i.e. upto mid 70s agricultural production had stagnated. The spectacular yield growth recorded in the post-Green Revolution years in Punjab and Haryana has receded
into history. Food grain production in the frontline agricultural states of Punjab, Haryana and
western Uttar Pradesh, comprising the country's food bowl, has decelerated. The miracle that
began with wheat was replicated in rice.The area under production of Wheat has increased
from a mere 12.93 million hectares in 1960-61 to 27.49 million hectares in 1999-2000, an
increase of more than 100% over the past 5 decades. The production of Wheat at the same
time, increased from 11 million tones in 1960-61 to 76.37 million tones in 1999-2000. The
yield (kg/hectare) on the other hand, increased from 851 in 1960-61 to 2778 in 1999-2000, an
increase of around 3.56 times. This indicates that although wheat production over the past 5
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decades increased by 6.87 times but the yield of wheat has actually increased by only half of
this figure.
SUPPLY-DEMAND BALANCE OF WHEAT IN INDIA:
As can be seen from Chart 3, the demand of wheat has increased by 2% (approximately) over
the past 7 years while the supply of wheat has increased by 3% over the same time period.
This indicates that the supply of wheat is more than needed for domestic use leading to stock
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surpluses.
Deman d & Sup ply of Wheat ( in
626466
68707274767880
94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01
Year
S u p p
l y
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
D e m a n
d
Total Suppl
Demand
Since 1998 Indias share in world wheat production is around 12% to 13%, at the same time.
Indias share in world wheat consumption is around 10% to 11%. It proves that some sort of
extra stock (around 1% to 2%) arises every year. The demand-supply gap which is open at a
rate of about 1 to 2 per cent per year is equivalent to 0.7 to 1.4 million tones of wheat,
growing larger over the years. Resultantly the ending stocks of wheat have been increasing
and the same thing can be visualized from the following chart
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Indian Wheat Consumption and Stock variables
ANALYSIS OF PRICE TREND OF WHEAT IN INDIA & DEMAND ELASTICITY
OF WHEAT:
Since the Green Revolution, Indian production of cereals including Wheat has been on the
rise with the production of wheat rising from a mere 8.6 million tones in 1960-61 to 73.53
million tones in 1999-2000 [1]. A study of the supply and demand trends over the past decade
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MSP, PROCUREMENT AND STOCKS WHEAT
Year MSP Rs./quintal WPI all commodities
1993-94 base
What MSP would be if
it had grown at same
rate as WPI1996-97 380 127.2 380.01997-98 475 132.8 396.71998-99 510 140.7 420.31999-00 550 145.3 434.12000-01 580 155.7 465.12001-02 610 161.3 481.9
The distortions in prices are evident from the above table also. If consider Wholesale Price
Index 127.2 as base during 96-97 when MSP was Rs. 380/- per quintal for both wheat and
rice then MSP in 2001 should have been Rs. 481.90 as against Rs.610/- per quintal.
The demand of Wheat in the country is pretty stable over the past few years with the average
demand of Wheat staying at around 63 MMT over the past 4 years. (Please see table 4) On
the other hand, the supply of Wheat has also remained steady at 77 MMT (approximately)
over the same time period. This condition is highly conducive to commencement of futures
trading in wheat with better chances of price discovery. The reason being that stable demand
and supply would help in correct future forecasting and future spot price fixation. This in turn
would lead to convergence between futures price and future spot price and hence correct risk
management mechanism.
Year Total Supply Demand
94/95 68.37 57.6695/96 75.20 61.3296/97 75.61 62.02
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97/98 75.32 61.6998/99 76.29 62.5699/00 77.41 63.5300/01 78.66 64.60
Indian Wheat Whoes ale Prices (Rs/qntl)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Months (2002)
P r i c e s
( R s .
/ q n
t l . )
HARVESTING--
SUP P LY of WINTER
WHEAT
SOWING OFWINTER
Wheat
SLACK SEASON--MAY-AUG
MSP Prices (Rs 620/qntl.)
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As can be seen from Chart 4A, the MSP is always higher than the Mandi Prices in
entire year of 2002 indicating that the MSP prices are not reflecting actual demand-
supply of Wheat in country.
INDIAS POSITION IN WORLD WHEAT MARKET
% Share of Country
Italy4%
Turkey4%
Pakistan3%
Canada5%
Australia4%
Russian Federation
6% Romania6% France
7%
USA13%
India13%
China22%
Others13%
Wheat production in India has increased by over ten times in the past five decades
and India has become the second largest wheat producer in the world. Today wheat
plays an increasingly important role in the management of Indias food economy.
Since 1998-99 Indias share in world Wheat production hovers around 11%
to13%.
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INDIAS POSITION IN THE WORLD WHEAT MARKET
India's share in World Wheat Production
Year Production share (%)1998/99 11.251999/00 12.072000-01 13.07001/02(12-June) 11.862002/03(12- June) 12.54
Starting from 1998-99 till date Indias share in world wheat export shows a rising trend. Not
only share, Indias physical export also sharply rising. Indias percentage share in both world
total export during 2001-02-July was 2.79 (i.e. around 3%).
INDIAS WHEAT EXPORT
Year India's Export figure
(In Thousand Metric Tons)1998/99 01999/00 2002000/01 23572001/02(12-June) 30002002/03(11-July) 4000
GOVERNMENT POLICY REGARDING WHEAT:
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Since wheat prices at procurement level and at disposal level are placed under controlled
mechanism with defined objectivity, scope of general price trend analysis also becomes govt.
policies centric. The related price in the open market has got a substantial relationship with
the prices of wheat traded in the open market. Therefore our presentation on this aspect has a
notion that the price elasticity of demand has got direct relationship on prices of wheat of
other varieties (whatsoever be the size of share in total production). However, availability of
targeted variety (Mexican/Dara) wheat shall increase, if Govt. withdraws gradually from
procurement at MSP; in the open market, which shall concede volatility.
PURCHASES:
The policy of Minimum Support Price (MSP) supports economic growth. MSP is a critical
policy component of the Indian Economy. It generates broadly different purchasing power,
health and wealth. Governments works out the MSP giving due consideration to all the
economic factors like cost of input, power, capital; and labor with reasonable going margins.
With the certainty about the support price, farmers expend better effort and resources provide
confidence and motivation to the growers. MSP and commodity options are consistent with
the requirements of the produced economy.
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PROCUREMENT OF WHEAT (CENTRAL POOL ACCOUNT)
(Figs. In Lac Tonnes)
Marketing
Year
1994-
95
1995-
96
1996-
97
1997-
98
1998-
99
1999-
2000
2000-
01
2001-
02
2002-03
Wheat 119 123 82 93 126 141 163 206 #190.2
STATEWISE PROCUREMENT OF WHEAT BY FCI
(In Lac Tons)
State 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02
Punjab 78.31 94.24 105.60Uttar Pradesh 12.61 15.45 24.46Haryana 48.70 44.98 64.07Rajasthan 6.37 5.39 6.76Other 5.44 3.50 5.41All India 141.43 163.56 206.30
SALES/LIQUIDATION OF INVENTORIES:
The prime objective of MSP of providing assured market to the growers achieved and
production kept on upward swing which culminated into comfort level of food security and
paused much more serious issues. One of them was the slower pace of replenishing the
inventories. Pricing policies of disposal of stocks thrusted at the social commitment of the
Government. Government kept on pumping wheat stocks at the issue price, which need to be
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lower than MSP through States machinery of Public Distribution channels throughout the
country that has helped to sustain the high growth rate and maintain regular, supply of Wheat
and Rice.
Government of India introduced a new scheme called Targeted Public Distribution Scheme
(TPDS) in 1997 where in ultimate consumers were segmented in two categories i.e., Below
Poverty Line and Above Poverty Line as per the recommendation of Planning Commission.
The issue price of Wheat during 2001 and 2002 were as under:-
(Rs./Quintal)
Commodities As on BPL APLWheat 1.04.2002 415 510
12.07.2001 415 610
Besides above stocks were earmarked for various other welfare schemes by the Government
like Jawahar Rojgar Yojona, Mid Day Mill Scheme etc.
OPEN MARKET SALES SCHEME:
When the impact of Government policies on pricing started showing little effect on the wheat
market; it was more or less stabilized, but at the same time off take by states in PDS either
steady or slightly showing downswing, resulting into burgeoning and inventories with the
Govt. agency (FCI). Therefore Govt. for minimizing subsidies decided release first old grain
or below quality grain and then superior quality grain in Open market at the best available
market rate on commercial terms.
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EXPORTS:
When saturation of domestic demand was observed and further compulsion of sustaining the
present market condition, the only avenue of liquidation of inventories was Exports. But
disparity of domestic and international prices were dealt with subsidized issue price which
served prime objective of quick and faster replacement, reducing carrying cost which
ultimately form the major share of subsidy and ultimately earn the foreign exchange which
shall provide India a dependable supplier in the Wheat world market.
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ADMINISTERED PRICES BY INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND FUTURES
TRADING:
Futures as well as MSP and OMSS (Open Market Sales Scheme) are price risk management
mechanisms with the same objective to help remove uncertainties arising due to price
volatility in Wheat. However, in light of administered price regime, futures trading in Wheat
cannot kick off. Futures trading in Wheat would help in proper price discovery only if the
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ISSUE PRICE
PDS (PublicDistribution
System)
APL BPL
OMSS (pricedeclared ontender basis)
Export IssuePrice (declaredfor each crop
year)
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CORRELATION BETWEEN INDIAN AND US WHEAT PRICES:
Indian and US Wheat Prices (in qntl)
0