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Gold/Mining/Energy : Big Dog's Boom Boom Room

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To: Broken_Clock who wrote (101826)5/30/2008 12:37:41 PM
From: R2O  Read Replies (1) of 206325
 
A question about reporting of physical deliveries:

(Sorry for the long winded post but I'm feeling particularly stupid about 'commodities futures' market and I need to start at the 2 year old's level. TIA)

Say I bought 10 contracts WTI at $80 for delivery in July 08 and that I wish (or need) to take delivery of physical oil at delivery time. I would guess that I had to put up only margin to buy these contracts, yes? Perhaps $10/bbl.

Say I now hold contracts committing the contract seller to supply me with oil at $80 in July 08. I have put up the margin to secure my side of the contract.

What does the seller put up?

Who indemnifies me against seller's failure to deliver?

The buyer of the contract (I would guess) has an obligation to take delivery of and pay for the physical.

Who indemnifies the seller for failure to pay and take delivery?

If I sell the contract and a subsequent contract holder has no desire (or means) to take delivery, who absorbs the risk?

Are these contracts priced/traded like (european) stock options i.e. that I could sell my interest in $80 Jul 08 contracts for whatever a buyer would pay any time prior to expiration?

Note that (like stock options) the delivery price and date are parameters of the contract not the market.

For each expiration date there ought to be all sorts of delivery prices, as there are strike prices for stock options.

Why does one only see the present value (and delivery/expiration date) of the contract and never the delivery price?

Say when delivery time comes I have the cash on hand to pay the balance for the delivery. The seller of the contracts now has to make good on the delivery of physical oil.

Let's say that at delivery time oil is going for a spot price of $130.00/bbl.

1. How is this sale reported and to whom? Where can I get the data?

Note the I, the party taking delivery, am only paying $80/bbl but (say) yesterday the 'contract' was selling for $130.

2. How would a failure to perform (either party) be reported, at what price, and to whom?

Where can I get the data?

On a very superficial macro level the entire commodities market seems to have some characteristics of the CDO market: There is a need to put a lot of money to work so we bend the world by creating what's needed ( separation of risk and consequence, demand, novel trading methods, instruments, etc.) and quickly disappear with the profits. The shift from backwardation to contango made the money bucket a lot bigger very quickly.

It took me a long time to see how to make money by having folks default on mortgages. I feel I'm missing something really important about rates of change and how to pour money.

TIA for anybody that may answer.

R.
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