Trading in oil futures and options is an introduction to price risk management in the worldwide oil industry. With numerous practical examples, it requires no prior knowledge and should be read by everyone involved in the industry. Although aimed primarily at those new to risk management it will also provide a useful theoretical background to more experienced managers and it will show those in other markets how the oil industry uses futures and other derivatives. This book concentrates on all the risk management tools available to everyone from crude oil producer to refined product consumer and explains the theory of futures, exchange options and over the counter trading.

Until as recently as the early 1970s, the main channel for oil supply was the integrated system of the major oil companies. Each company had its own source of crude as well as the capacity to refine it. The volume of spot trading was limited to around 5 percent of the total oil trade. Today, spot and spot-related trades comprise some 80 pecent of the internationally traded petroleum. Although the use of new trade instruments began in the early 1980s and almost all market participants are still learning, petroleum traders of developing countries have lagged behind those of the developed countries. This lag has resulted in the inability of these countries to procure their petroleum requirements at the lowest possible cost. Since petroleum costs in most developing countries constitute a large component of the total import bill, the potential to benefit from the use of modern trading instruments is substantial.

Until as recently as the late 1970s, the main channel for oil distribution was the integrated system of the major oil companies, while the volume of spot trading was limited to roughly 5 percent of the total oil trade. Today, spot and spot-related deals account for 80 to 85 percent of internationally traded petroleum, and have ushered in a new era of petroleum trading. In this work, Hossein Razavi and Fereidun Fesharaki offer a detailed study of the workings and issues surrounding today's oil trading market as they apply to all parties involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of petroleum. They provide a complete description of petroleum spot markets, futures, and options trading, and their interlinkages with contract sales. Razavi and Fesharaki cover a wide range of topics, and challenge the generally accepted view that spot and futures trading have wrested the power of price setting away from OPEC. They claim that prices are still determined by supply, which OPEC continues to influence. The book is divided into four sections, beginning with an overview of recent developments in spot, futures, and contract trading. Section two provides an analysis of spot and spot-related deals, while the third section describes the mechanics, organization, and evolution of petroleum futures markets and options trading. The work concludes with an in-depth section on interlinkages, examining the interactions among various segments of the market, including spot and futures trading, petroleum stock building, and OPEC. This book will be a valuable resource tool for libraries as well as a wide range of users, from oil industry professionals and financial analysts to students of energy-related topics.