We conduct a clinical analysis of the CBOT full membership that provides holders with rights to trade any of the exchange’s contracts using a unique database of seat information from the period 1897-2020. We examine microstructure and asset pricing properties of seats including during periods...

We examine how corporations should choose their optimal mix of linear and non-linear derivatives. We present a model in which a firm facing both quantity (output) and price (market) risk maximizes its expected profits when subject to financial distress costs. The optimal hedging position...

We study futures commission merchants, or “FCMs,” who are the important intermediaries through which institutional, corporate and retail customers conduct trading in interest rate, currency and commodity futures. We construct and examine a data base of FCM financial information including...

We examine analyst forecasts of 26 macroeconomic statistics over the August 1998 to March 2007 time period. We pose four research questions: (1) Does forecast accuracy persist?; (2) What are the determinants of such persistence?; (3) Do analysts who exhibit these characteristics make more...

We analyze the underinvestment problem as a determinant of corporate hedging policy. We find evidence of a positive relation between a firm?s derivatives use and its growth opportunities, as proxied by several alternative measures. For firms with enhanced investment opportunities, derivatives...

Utilizing a comprehensive database spanning 110 exchanges in five geographic regions, we examine trends in trade activity and contract innovation of exchange-traded futures and options over the period 2002–2021. We find that global volume has experienced a ten-fold increase driven by...

We examine key developments in trade-related activity in derivatives markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a unique database spanning 113 exchanges and 40 countries, we find significant large increases in volumes and open interest using event study methods. Further, drawing upon techniques...

We provide a descriptive examination of the trading activities of one of the most important intermediaries in global financial markets - the OTC derivatives dealer. These dealers play a central role in the provision of derivative products and in the intermediation of market risks faced by...