Trading in oil futures and options is an introduction to price risk management in the worldwide oil industry. With numerous practical examples, it requires no prior knowledge and should be read by everyone involved in the industry. Although aimed primarily at those new to risk management it will also provide a useful theoretical background to more experienced managers and it will show those in other markets how the oil industry uses futures and other derivatives. This book concentrates on all the risk management tools available to everyone from crude oil producer to refined product consumer and explains the theory of futures, exchange options and over the counter trading.

The Oil Trading Manual (OTM) provides a unique and comprehensive reference source to the latest developments in the structure and conduct of the international oil markets including: Physical characteristics and refining Oil pricing arrangements Physical oil markets Forward and futures contracts Options and swaps Operations and logistics Accounting and taxation Controlling financial risk Legal and regulatory control OTM provides a unique and comprehensive reference source to the structure and conduct of the international oil markets. The manual covers all the major oil trading instruments and their applications; the trading centres, contracts, uses and users of both the physical and the terminal oil markets, and their administrative, management, tax, and accounting implications. It also includes vital information on changes to the international legal and regulatory structures. The manual is divided into three complementary parts; Characteristics An introduction to oil and oil trading, and includes material on the nature of oil as a commodity, refinery processes and the different ways in which oil is priced. Instruments and markets Deals with the oil market itself taking each segment in turn, explaining how the various trading instruments work and describing the markets that have evolved to trade them. It starts with the physical oil markets, moving on to forward and futures markets, followed by options and swaps. Administration Covers the essential 'back-room' activities without which oil trading could not continue. It includes practical material on operations and logistics, credit control, accounting, taxation, contracts and regulation, and controlling financial risk, providing a unique guide to the subject. Compiled from the contributions of a range of internationally respected professionals, it is the indispensable practical companion for all those involved with trading in this complex commodity. Revised and updated 2003

Until as recently as the late 1970s, the main channel for oil distribution was the integrated system of the major oil companies, while the volume of spot trading was limited to roughly 5 percent of the total oil trade. Today, spot and spot-related deals account for 80 to 85 percent of internationally traded petroleum, and have ushered in a new era of petroleum trading. In this work, Hossein Razavi and Fereidun Fesharaki offer a detailed study of the workings and issues surrounding today's oil trading market as they apply to all parties involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of petroleum. They provide a complete description of petroleum spot markets, futures, and options trading, and their interlinkages with contract sales. Razavi and Fesharaki cover a wide range of topics, and challenge the generally accepted view that spot and futures trading have wrested the power of price setting away from OPEC. They claim that prices are still determined by supply, which OPEC continues to influence. The book is divided into four sections, beginning with an overview of recent developments in spot, futures, and contract trading. Section two provides an analysis of spot and spot-related deals, while the third section describes the mechanics, organization, and evolution of petroleum futures markets and options trading. The work concludes with an in-depth section on interlinkages, examining the interactions among various segments of the market, including spot and futures trading, petroleum stock building, and OPEC. This book will be a valuable resource tool for libraries as well as a wide range of users, from oil industry professionals and financial analysts to students of energy-related topics.

In today's changing political and economic environment, it is increasingly important that companies learn to properly use the various trading instruments to protect themselves against price volatility. Since the first successful energy futures contract was introduced almost a quarter century ago, trading in energy futures and options has played an important role in hedging against fluctuations in the price of petroleum products, crude oil, natural gas, propane, electricity, and most recently, coal. In this 2nd edition of their best-selling primer, authors Errera and Brown explain how exchange traded futures and options markets work, and how companies can successfully use the markets in their overall strategy to increase profitability. They cover everything from market mechanics, hedging, spread trading, and technical trading to history and growth of the markets. Also included is an extensive appendix detailing contract specifications for 13 energy futures/options contracts. BONUS: A summary of the rules of the most active energy futures and options contracts is included!

Unlike most books on derivative products, Options Explained 2 is a practical guide, covering theoretical concepts only where they are essential to applying options on a wide variety of assets. Written with the emphasis on a practical, straightforward approach, Options Explained succeeds in demystifying what has traditionally been treated as a highly complex product. The second edition also includes over 100 pages of new material, with sections on exotic options, worldwide accounting practices and issues in volatility estimation.

This is a book about the international oil market. It takes a historical perspective on how the market emerged, developed, and became what it is today—the biggest commodity market in the world. It is mature and complex, but far from perfect. Throughout most of its 150-year history, the oil market has been monopolised by companies and governments. For only a fraction of that, oil traded in a relatively free market. As a result, we had to live with ‘big oil’, economic shocks, high oil prices, instability and wars. Using a simple concept of market power, this book will explain the meaning of ‘oil price’ and how it is established while offering a valuable lesson for other commodities. Market power is the key to understanding the ‘price of oil’. This book uses a simple concept of price-makers and price-takers to examine the evolution of oil markets, their structure, and prices. The early decades of the oil industry were competitive with low barriers to entry. Barely 25 years later, the Standard Oil company created a refining monopoly, buying oil at its own ‘posted’ price. In the following century, the cartel of major oil companies, helped by their governments, did the same at the international level. OPEC helped producing governments regain control of their own resources, but the organisation was never able to retain a similar level of control. After 1986 price collapse, OPEC abdicated the price-making function in favour of the market. While it never gave up attempts to influence prices, OPEC had to link their official prices to one of the global oil benchmarks. Modern international oil markets function because of oil benchmarks such as Brent, WTI and Dubai. This book showcases: • How oil traders played a prominent role in development of the industry • How policies of consuming nations helped oil cartels • Why and how the US price of oil was negative • How AI has changed the way markets operate and the way in which the markets are likely to change in future This book explores how oil markets grew, functioned, and have occasionally failed to do their job. The ecosystem of derivatives or ‘paper barrels’ trading in far greater volume than physical oil plays a very important role in mitigating risk. With this core tenant, setting the ‘price of oil’ is explained in detail.