Although the intent of this hedging strategy was well- intentioned, the mismatch between the long-trem Short positions in delivery contracts and the short- term long positions in oil futures created havoc for MGRM .
Futures price fluctuations resulted in wildly fluctuating short-term c ash flow needs in MGRM’ s margin account that did not match the maturity of MGRM ’s long- term delivery contracts.
Metallgesellschaft nearly went bankrupt in 1991 as a result of a $1 .4 billion loss from its mismatched hedge. Metallgesellschaft’s
experience is a reminder that the exposure ( i.e., maturity ) of a financial hedge must match the exposure of the underlying transaction.