Summary and Final Tasks - Hidden

Key Learning Points: Lesson 10

1. Swaps are exchanges of payments between two parties and are strictly financial in nature.
2. They can be used in lieu of futures contracts and are, in fact, “forward” contracts.
3. They are non-exchange traded instruments.
4. They can be used for hedging or outright trading.
5. “Fixed-for-floating” Swaps use current NYMEX market prices and final settlement prices to determine the balance of payments under the agreements.
6. Spreads represent the price difference between commodity locations, relationships and timeframes.
7. They can also be used for hedging or outright trading (arbitrage).
8. The most common types of Spreads are location, time (storage) and, inter-commodity.
9. Inter-commodity Spreads can be by oil refiners, midstream natural gas companies and, electricity generators to lock-in margin.
10. Options are a simple and less costly way to hedge price risk than the outright purchase or sale of energy financial contracts.
11. They give the Buyer the right but not the obligation to buy or sell the underlying energy commodity contracts at the “strike price.”
12. The Seller, or “Writer,” of the Option assumes all risk.
13. Options can be used for hedging or outright trading.
14. Commercial entities concerned about rising energy prices, i.e., refiners, would enter into a “Call” Option, thereby establishing a maximum, or “ceiling,” price for their commodity needs.
15. Commercial entities concerned about falling energy prices, i.e., producers, would enter into a “Put” Option, thereby establishing a minimum or “floor” price for their commodity.
16. The Black-Sholes Model is the most popular Options Valuation Model.

Over the past few weeks, you have been researching various Fundamental Factors that can be used to aid in making trading decisions. The other type of information, used by "Day Traders," is "Technical Analysis." In the next lesson, we will get an elementary overview of TA which will assist you in decision-making for the final 3 weeks of the OTIS Trading Simulation.

Reminder - Complete all of the Lesson 10 tasks!

You have reached the end of Lesson 10. Double-check the list of requirements on the first page of this lesson to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before beginning the next lesson. (To access the next lesson, use the link in the "Course Outline" menu at left.)