Deals & Strategy of MGRM
In 1992, the petroleum market witnessed large fluctuations in the price of oil related products. MGRM believed that its large financial resources could be leveraged to manage risk in an efficient manner. Therefore, MGRM structured deals with its customers to shift or eliminate some of their oil price risk.
MGRM committed to sell stipulated amounts of petroleum every month, at prices fixed at 1992 for 10 years.
By September 1993, they sold forward about 160 million barrels of oil.
These contracts contained an “option” clause, which enabled the counter parties to terminate the contracts early if the front month New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) futures contract was greater than the fixed price at which MGRM was selling the oil product.
If the buyer exercised this option, then MGRM had to pay in cash one-half of the difference between the futures price and the fixed prices multiplied by the total volume remaining to be delivered on the contract.
This option was ideally suited to customers as they could terminate the contract whenever they were in financial distress or when they no longer needed the oil. This sell–back option however was not always available to the customers, MGRM had a safety clause enabling it to amend the contract if the futures price rose above a specified exit price.
Options available to MGRM for hedging:
To hedge the price volatility, a company can buy futures. Generally very long-term (10 years) futures are not available. Hence, it can buy short-term futures, and at the time of maturity, the company can close the expiring futures and take a new position in the next period. MGRM did this:
MGRM used a ‘stacked’ hedging strategy to hedge its fixed price sale; it went long in short dated delivery month futures on the NYMEX. At the expiry of every contract, MGRM rolled its position forward.
MGRM went long in futures for unleaded gasoline and No.2 heating oil.