need 2 responses for those 2 discussion answers(5-10 sentences for each answer)
Business Finance
please write like ” Hi i agree with your answer” and add some new information.
ANSWER 1
Chapter 13 Question 1
Describe the general characteristics of a futures contract. How does a
clearinghouse facilitate the trading of financial futures contracts?
A futures contract is a standardized agreement to deliver or receive a specified amount of a specified financial instrument at a specified price and date. The clearinghouse records all transactions and guarantees timely payments on futures contracts. This precludes the need for a purchaser of a futures contract to check the creditworthiness of the contract seller.
Chapter 14 Question 1
Describe the general differences between a call option and a futures contract.
A call option requires a premium above and beyond the price to be paid for the financial instrument, whereas a financial futures contract does not contain such a premium. In addition, the call option represents a right but not an obligation, whereas a futures contract represents an obligation.
ANSWER 2
Chapter 13
Question 15: Why would a pension fund or insurance company consider selling stock index futures?
The most common pension plan is a defined benefit plan. Employees receive a payment equal to a percentage of the average salary that they received over the last few years of employment with their employer. The formula, which includes years with the same company, sets the payment amount. A combination of employee and employer contributions fund benefits, with employers paying the largest share.
Index futures are futures contracts on a stock or financial index. For each index, there may be a different multiple for determining the price of the futures contract.
If a pension fund or insurance company anticipates a temporary decline in stock prices, it may attempt to hedge its stock portfolio by selling stock index futures.
Chapter 14
Question 10: Describe a put option on interest rate futures. How does it differ from selling a futures contract?
A put option is a contract that gives the owner a right, but not the obligation, to sell a stock at a predetermined price within a certain period. The seller of the futures contract (the party with a short position) agrees to sell the underlying commodity to the buyer at expiration at the fixed sales price. As time passes, the contract’s price changes relative to the fixed price at which the trade was initiated. This creates profits or losses for the trader.
A put option on interest rate futures provides the right to sell a specified interest rate futures contract that contains a specified price, and an owner of a put option on an interest rate futures contract allows one the right to sell the underlying instrument on the settlement date specified by the futures contract, if the put option on futures is exercised. but there is no obligation unless the put option on futures is exercised.
