Weather Derivatives

​Weather derivatives are financial instruments that can be used by organizations or individuals as part of a risk management strategy to minimize risk associated with adverse or unexpected weather conditions. Just as traditional contingent claims, a weather derivative has an underlying measure, such as: rainfall, wind, snow or temperature. Nearly $1 trillion of the U.S. economy is directly exposed to weather-related risk. More precisely, almost 30% of the U.S. economy and 70% of U.S. companies are affected by weather. The purpose of this monograph is to conduct an in-depth analysis of financial products that are traded in the weather market. Presenting a pricing and modeling approach for weather derivatives written on various underlying weather variables will help students, researchers, and industry professionals accurately price weather derivatives, and will provide strategies for effectively hedging against weather-related risk. This book will link the mathematical aspects of the modeling procedure of weather variables to the financial markets and the pricing of weather derivatives. Very little has been published in the area of weather risk, and this volume will appeal to graduate-level students and researchers studying financial mathematics, risk management, or energy finance, in addition to investors and professionals within the financial services industry. ​

Originally published in 2005, Weather Derivative Valuation covers all the meteorological, statistical, financial and mathematical issues that arise in the pricing and risk management of weather derivatives. There are chapters on meteorological data and data cleaning, the modelling and pricing of single weather derivatives, the modelling and valuation of portfolios, the use of weather and seasonal forecasts in the pricing of weather derivatives, arbitrage pricing for weather derivatives, risk management, and the modelling of temperature, wind and precipitation. Specific issues covered in detail include the analysis of uncertainty in weather derivative pricing, time-series modelling of daily temperatures, the creation and use of probabilistic meteorological forecasts and the derivation of the weather derivative version of the Black-Scholes equation of mathematical finance. Written by consultants who work within the weather derivative industry, this book is packed with practical information and theoretical insight into the world of weather derivative pricing.

Weather derivatives provide a tool for weather risk management, and the markets for these exotic financial products are gradually emerging in size and importance. This unique monograph presents a unified approach to the modeling and analysis of such weather derivatives, including financial contracts on temperature, wind and rain. Based on a deep statistical analysis of weather factors, sophisticated stochastic processes are introduced modeling the time and space dynamics. Applying ideas from the modern theory of mathematical finance, weather derivatives are priced, and questions of hedging analyzed. The treatise contains an in-depth analysis of typical weather contracts traded at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), including so-called CDD and HDD futures. The statistical analysis of weather variables are based on a large data set from Lithuania. The monograph includes the research done by the authors over the last decade on weather markets. Their work has gained considerable attention, and has been applied in many contexts.

Securitisation has survived the threats that emerged in the aftermath of the collapses of Enron, WorldCom, and Parmalat. Today, global securitisation markets continue to go from strength to strength, particularly as regards the evolution of new synthetic structures and the application of securitisation technology to fresh asset classes. This Yearbook focuses on the latest innovations in securitisation, including the securitisation of derivatives and alternative asset classes, and also exotic variations on the securitisation of well-established asset classes. Twenty-nine distinguished authors all of them active in the global securitisation markets as advisers, structurers, facilitators, or regulators brilliantly elucidate such topics as the following: synthetic squares as an effective means of arbitrage securitisation;collateralised debt obligations from a ratings perspective;use of, and potential for, synthetic securitisation in Germany and Italy;weather derivatives;use of equity derivatives as alternatives to credit risk;securitisation of alternative asset classes in Japan and the United States;covered bonds in a variety of European jurisdictions;new types of commercial mortgage backed securities;securitisation of non-performing tax receivables as an example of public sector securitisation; andsecuritisation structures in the Islamic regulatory and legal framework. The complex and sometimes controversial¿issues of documentation are well covered, as are all significant legal and regulatory issues. Three concluding essays detail the recent changes in accountancy fuelled by perceived abuse of existing regulations, and the revised framework for capital adequacy formulated by the Basel Committee. The Yearbook provides detailed information on the legal structure of innovative securitisations as well as recent developments in the accounting and regulatory treatment of securitisations. For legal advisers, investors, and regulators, there is no more useful guide to current and emerging trends and opportunities in securitisation.

The new finanacial markets for energy trading are growing globally. Financial derivatives now influence energy price formation for oil, gas and electricity. The power of the Internet is driving these global changes more rapidly and adding more price volatility. This book is the second of three books on energy trading and risk management written by best selling author Peter C. Fusaro. It covers the key new markets of emissions trading, weather driving, electronic energy trading, bandwidth trading and electricty and gas trading in Europe.

"I'd say you were a carnival barker, except that wouldn't be fair tocarnival barkers. A carnie will at least tell you up front that he's running a shell game. You, Mr. Lay, were running what purported to be the seventh largest corporation in America."-Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) to Enron CEO Kenneth Lay, Senate Commerce Science & Transportation's Subcommittee, Hearing on Enron, 2/12/02 The speed of Enron's rise and fall is truly astonishing and perhaps the single most important story of corporate failure in the twenty-first century. In Enron investigative journalist Loren Fox promises readers nothing short of the most compelling and insightful investigation into Enron's meteoric ascent-regarded by Wall Street and the media as the epitome of innovation-and its spectacular fall from grace. In a lively and authoritative manner, Fox discusses how the biggest corporate bankruptcy in American business history happened, why for so long no one (except for an enlightened few) saw it coming, and what its impact will be on financial markets, the U.S. economy, U.S. energy policy, and the public for years to come. With access to many company insiders, Fox's intriguing account of this corporate debacle also provides an overview of the corporate culture and business model that led to Enron's high-flying success and disastrous failure. The story of Enron is one that will reverberate in global financial and energy markets as well as in criminal and civil courts for years to come. Rife with all the elements of a classic thriller-scandal, dishonest accounting, personal greed, questionable campaign contributions, suicide-Enron captures the essence of a company that went too far too fast.

The book, in its Second Editioncontinues to present a detailed analysis of theoretical concepts and practical approach on derivatives—options, futures, forwards and swaps. It provides a deeper insight into the conceptual background as well as practical application of derivatives. Apart from discussing stock, index and commodity derivatives, it also discusses currency, energy, weather and credit derivatives that are of recent origin in the field of derivatives trading. Three new chapters on Different Types of Market Structures and Derivatives and Operational Aspects of Derivatives Chapter 2),Regulation of Derivatives in India (Chapter 6) and Linkage between Spot Market and Derivatives Market (Chapter 14) have been added in this edition. Whereas an Appendix—Derivatives from The Lenses of Mishaps gives insights on scams which took place in the past. Practical application of derivatives like trading practices, margin system, valuation of options and futures, linkage between spot market and derivatives market have been discussed using real-life stock and commodity prices. The book features application of derivatives in designing risk management, i.e., hedging strategies and profit maximisation strategies in a lively manner citing real-life data-based examples in a simulated environment. The text contains a good number of examples as well as chapter-end questions for practice on topics like valuation of options and futures, strategic application of derivatives in risk management and profit maximisation in different market swings—upswing, downswing and range-bound movement in the market. This is a comprehensive yet easy to understand text for the students of MBA/PGDBM/CA/CS/NCFM and other related postgraduate courses. SALIENT FEATURES Solved examples and unsolved questions—multiple choice, theoretical and numerical Glossary of key words to help students in understanding the terminologies Separate question bank on valuation and strategic application of derivatives Solutions manual available for instructors PowerPoint Slides available online at www.phindia.com/dhanesh-khatri-derivatives/ to provide integrated learning to the student