Suppose in six months' time the cost of a gallon of heating oil will either be $0.90 or $1.10. The current price is $1.00 per gallon.
Required:
Q1. What are the risks faced by a reseller of heating oil that has a large inventory on hand? what are the risks faced by a large user of heating oil with a very small inventory?
Q2. How can these two parties use the heating oil futures market to reduce their risks and lock in a price of $1.00 per gallon? Assume each contract is for 50,000 gallons and they each need to hedge 100,000 gallons.
Q3. Can you say that each party has been made better off? Why or why not?