Margin Requirements and Hedging Effectiveness: An Analysis in a Risk-Return Framework

Abstract

The wave of innovation that swept the field of finance in the last fifteen years has resulted in the creation of different instruments that could serve effectively as substitutes in performing different functions. One important function, that of hedging risk, may be performed by futures and options. The regulations of the markets in which these instruments trade are important determinants of the competitiveness of the different substitutes. One such important regulation is that of the margin requirement of futures and options markets. This paper studies the effect of an increase in the margin requirement on the hedging effectiveness of the hedging instrument and its demand by the hedger. Empirically, the paper compares the hedging effectiveness of currency options and futures with and without margin inclusion. The results indicate that margin regulations for these two instruments are such that the instruments are competitive in terms of what they offer the hedger.