Forward Contract Definition: A cash market transaction in which delivery of the commodity is deferred until after the contract

has been made. Although the delivery is made in the future, the price is determined on the initial trade In finance, a forward contract or simply a forward is a non-standardized contract between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specified future time at a price agreed today. This is in contrast to a spot contract, which is an agreement to buy or sell an asset today. The party agreeing to buy the underlying asset in the future assumes a long position, and the party agreeing to sell the asset in the future assumes a short position. The price agreed upon is called the delivery price, which is equal to the forward price at the time the contract is entered into. The price of the underlying instrument, in whatever form, is paid before control of the instrument changes. This is one of the many forms of buy/sell orders where the time and date of trade is not the same as the value date where the securities themselves are exchanged. The forward price of such a contract is commonly contrasted with the spot price, which is the price at which the asset changes hands on the spot date. The difference between the spot and the forward price is the forward premium or forward discount, generally considered in the form of a profit, or loss, by the purchasing party. Forwards, like other derivative securities, can be used to hedge risk (typically currency or exchange rate risk), as a means of speculation, or to allow a party to take advantage of a quality of the underlying instrument which is time-sensitive. Difference between Forward and Future Contract However, it is in the specific details that these contracts differ. First of all, futures contracts are exchange-traded and, therefore, are standardized contracts. Forward contracts, on the other hand, are private agreements between two parties and are not as rigid in their stated terms and conditions. Because forward contracts are private agreements, there is always a chance that a party may default on its side of the agreement. Futures contracts have clearing houses that guarantee the transactions, which drastically lowers the probability of default to almost never. Secondly, the specific details concerning settlement and delivery are quite distinct. For forward contracts, settlement of the contract occurs at the end of the contract. Futures contracts are marked-tomarket daily, which means that daily changes are settled day by day until the end of the contract. Furthermore, settlement for futures contracts can occur over a range of dates. Forward contracts, on the other hand, only possess one settlement date. USES OF Forward Contract Forward contracts offer users the ability to lock in a purchase or sale price without incurring any direct cost. This feature makes it attractive to many corporate treasurers, who can use forward contracts to lock in a profit margin, lock in an interest rate, assist in cash planning, or ensure supply of a scarce resources. Speculators also use forward contracts to make bets on price movements of the underlying asset. Many corporations and banks will use forward contracts to hedge price risk by eliminating uncertainty about prices. For instance, coffee growers may enter into a forward contract with Starbucks (SBUX) to lock in their sale price of coffee, reducing uncertainty about how much they will be able to

make. Starbucks benefits from contract because it is able to lock in their cost of purchasing coffee. Knowing what price it will have to pay for its supply of coffee ahead of time helps Starbucks avoid price fluctuations and assists in planning. Risks of Forward Contract Because no money exchanges hands initially, there is counterparty credit risk involved with forward contracts. Since you depend on the counterparty to deliver the asset (or cash if it is a cash settled forward contract), if the counterparty defaults between the initial agreement date and delivery date, you may have a loss. However, two conditions must apply before a party faces a loss: 1. The spot price moves in favor of the party, entitling it to compensation by the counterparty, and 2. The counterparty defaults and is unable to pay the cash difference or deliver the asset.

OPTIONS In finance, an option is a derivative financial instrument that specifies a contract between two parties for a future transaction on an asset at a reference price (the strike). The buyer of the option gains the right, but not the obligation, to engage in that transaction, while the seller incurs the corresponding obligation to fulfil the transaction. The price of an option derives from the difference between the reference price and the value of the underlying asset (commonly a stock, a bond, a currency or a futures contract) plus a premium based on the time remaining until the expiration of the option. Other types of options exist, and options can in principle be created for any type of valuable asset. An option which conveys the right to buy something at a specific price is called a call; an option which conveys the right to sell something at a specific price is called a put. The reference price at which the underlying asset may be traded is called the strike price or exercise price. The process of activating an option and thereby trading the underlying at the agreed-upon price is referred to as exercising it. Most options have an expiration date. If the option is not exercised by the expiration date, it becomes void and worthless. In return for assuming the obligation, called writing the option, the originator of the option collects a payment, the premium, from the buyer. The writer of an option must make good on delivering (or receiving) the underlying asset or its cash equivalent, if the option is exercised. An option can usually be sold by its original buyer to another party. Many options are created in standardized form and traded on an anonymous options exchange among the general public, while other over-the-counter options are customized ad hoc to the desires of the buyer, usually by an investment bank. CALL OPTION A call option, often simply labeled a "call", is a financial contract between two parties, the buyer and the seller of this type of option The buyer of the call option has the right, but not the obligation to buy an agreed quantity of a particular commodity or financial instrument (the underlying) from the seller of the option at a certain time (the expiration date) for a certain price (the strike price). The seller (or "writer") is obligated to sell the commodity or financial instrument should the buyer so decide. The buyer pays a fee (called a premium) for this right.

The buyer of a call option purchases it in the hope that the price of the underlying instrument will rise in the future. The seller of the option either expects that it will not, or is willing to give up some of the upside (profit) from a price rise in return for the premium (paid immediately) and retaining the opportunity to make a gain up to the strike price (see below for examples). Call options are most profitable for the buyer when the underlying instrument moves up, making the price of the underlying instrument closer to, or above, the strike price. The call buyer believes it's likely the price of the underlying asset will rise by the exercise date. The risk is limited to the premium. The profit for the buyer can be very large, and is limited by how high the underlying instrument's spot price rises. When the price of the underlying instrument surpasses the strike price, the option is said to be "in the money". The call writer does not believe the price of the underlying security is likely to rise. The writer sells the call to collect the premium and does not receive any gain if the stock rises above the strike price. PUT OPTION A put or put option is a contract between two parties to exchange an asset, the underlying, at a specified price, the strike, by a predetermined date, the expiry or maturity. One party, the buyer of the put, has the right, but not an obligation, to sell the asset at the strike price by the future date, while the other party, the seller, has the obligation to buy the asset at the strike price if the buyer exercises the option. If the strike is K and maturity time is T, if the buyer exercises the put at a time t, the buyer can expect to receive a payout of K-S(t), if the price of the underlying S(t) at that time is less than K. The exercise t must occur by time T; precisely what exact times are allowed is specified by the type of put option. An American option can be exercised at any time before or equal to T; a European option can be exercised only at time T; a Bermudan option can be exercised only on specific dates listed in the terms of the contract. If the option is not exercised by maturity, it expires worthless. (Note that the buyer will not exercise the option at an allowable date if the price of the underlying is greater than K.) The most obvious use of a put is as a type of insurance. In the protective put strategy, the investor buys enough puts to cover their holdings of the underlying so that if a drastic downward movement of the underlying's price occurs, they have the option to sell the holdings at the strike price. Another use is for speculation: an investor can take a short position in the underlying without trading in it directly. Puts may also be combined with other derivatives as part of more complex investment strategies, and in particular, may be useful for hedging. Note that by put-call parity, a European put can be replaced by buying the appropriate call option and selling an appropriate forward contract.