Alternatively, MGRM could have chosen among a number of derivativesbased
hedging strategies involving either futures or forward contracts, or some
combination of both. Putting together a perfect hedge using such instruments
would have required the purchase of a bundle of oil futures or forward contracts
with expiration dates just matching MGRM’s promised delivery dates. But oil
futures typically trade only for maturities of three years or less. Moreover,
liquidity tends to be poor for contracts with maturities over 18 months. Thus,
MGRM would have had to buy a bundle of long-dated forward contracts from an OTC derivatives dealer to put together a hedge that just offset its exposure
to long-term energy prices.