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Derivatives in Plain Words by Frederic Lau, with a ... - HKU Libraries

Derivatives in Plain Words by Frederic Lau, with a ... - HKU Libraries

Derivatives in Plain Words by Frederic Lau, with a ... - HKU Libraries

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Annex BI. OR OFThis simply refers to the notional amount of the contract and is the mostbasic form of risk measurement. The ma<strong>in</strong> advantage of this measure is itssimplicity which allows net and gross positions to be computed easily andquickly. It is useful as one of the means for limit<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess volume, andliquidity and settlement risks.However, the notional amount only provides an <strong>in</strong>dication of the volume ofbus<strong>in</strong>ess outstand<strong>in</strong>g and bear little relation to the underly<strong>in</strong>g risks of theexposure as it does not take account of cash flows, price sensitivity or pricevolatility. Also, for sophisticated <strong>in</strong>stitutions, the nom<strong>in</strong>al measurement methoddoes not allow an accurate aggregation of risks across all <strong>in</strong>struments.Thismethod should not be used on a stand-alone basis.2.This is the product of the notional amount of the contract expressed <strong>in</strong>millions and the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g term of the contract expressed <strong>in</strong> number of months.For example, the month-million of an <strong>in</strong>terest rate contract <strong>with</strong> an amount of$60 million and a rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g term of three months is calculated as follows:3 months x $60 million = $180 month-million.This method is commonly used <strong>by</strong> market participants for measur<strong>in</strong>g exposure<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest rate products. It is simple <strong>in</strong> nature and is better than thenotional amount as it also takes account of the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g maturity of thecontract which is a relevant factor <strong>in</strong> assess<strong>in</strong>g the market risk of <strong>in</strong>terestrate products. However, similar to the nom<strong>in</strong>al measurement method, itdoes not take account of the underly<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>strument's cash flow, price sensitivityor price volatility.Guidel<strong>in</strong>e on Risk Management of <strong>Derivatives</strong> and Other Traded Instruments

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