Contract or arrangement reducing ones exposure to risk (for example the risk of price movements or interest rate movements)
In purchasing, any purchase/sale transaction having the elimination of the negative aspects of price fluctuations Also, inventory-building actions taken by the purchasing organization to protect from supply constrictions
Any strategy which involves investing or speculating on a security in contrast to ones primary objective in order to provide a degree of insurance against being wrong For example, an investor who is heavily invested in common stocks for long-term capital appreciation may consider "hedging" his investments against a downturn in the overall market by purchasing put options, selling call options, short selling or employing other strategies designed to profit from market downturns
A sale of futures contracts to offset the ownership or purchase of the underlying cash commodity in order to protect it against adverse price moves; or, conversely, a purchase of futures contracts to offset the sale of the underlying cash commodity, again for protection against adverse price moves
An investment position or combination of positions that reduces the volatility of your portfolio value One can take an offsetting position in a related security Instruments used are varied and include forwards, futures, options, and combinations of all of them
A position in the financial market that is opposite to a position in the physical market The expectation is that gains and losses from price movements will offset each other in the two markets when the position in the financial market is closed For example, a producer who owns gas now and wants to sell it at some point in the future, would first obtain a futures contract to sell gas at that future time When that time arrives, the producer sells the gas on the physical market and closes its position in the futures market with a contract to buy gas, thus completing the hedge If the price of gas rose during this time, the producer would experience a gain in the physical market and a loss on the futures market Similarly, if the price of gas fell, the producer would experience a loss on the physical market and a gain on the futures market
Reduces risk by taking a position in a future equal and opposite to an existing or anticipated cash position, or by shorting a security similar to one in which a long position has been established see also: Long Hedge, Long Position
Hedgers are individuals and firms that make purchases and sales in the futures market solely for the purpose of establishing a known price level--weeks or months in advance--for something they later intend to buy or sell in the cash market (back to top)
As an example transaction by a consumer or producer of a metal designed to protect him against price fluctuations A consumer of platinum, for instance, may "hedge" against a possible price increase by buying enough metal to cover his needs in the form of a futures contract Futures markets were originally foe hedges, as opposed to speculators, by whom the market is now used predominantly
any technique designed to reduce or eliminate financial risk; for example, taking two positions that will offset each other if prices change