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Portfolio Speculation and Commodity Price Volatility in a Stochastic Storage Model

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  • James Vercammen
  • Ali Doroudian

Abstract

Simulated prices from a stochastic storage model are used to examine the price impacts of speculation by rational investors who diversify their financial portfolios by holding agricultural commodity futures. The main result is that rather than destabilizing commodity prices, as is commonly believed, portfolio speculation actually reduces price volatility. Portfolio speculation can potentially destabilize a commodity's price because the additional demand for long futures by speculators is expected to drive up the cash price during both periods of low net demand, when the cash price is below average, and periods of high net demand, when the cash price is above average. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates that the higher level of inventory that is associated with portfolio speculation results in a larger release of stocks during periods of high net demand. The price simulations reveal that this stock adjustment effect is strong since overall price volatility is smaller rather than larger with portfolio speculation.

Suggested Citation

  • James Vercammen & Ali Doroudian, 2014. "Portfolio Speculation and Commodity Price Volatility in a Stochastic Storage Model," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 96(2), pages 517-532.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ajagec:v:96:y:2014:i:2:p:517-532.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ajae/aat098
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    Cited by:

    1. Adjemian, Michael K. & Bruno, Valentina & Robe, Michel A. & Wallen, Jonathan, 2017. "What Drives Volatility Expectations in Grain and Oilseed Markets?," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258452, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Palazzi, Rafael Baptista & Figueiredo Pinto, Antonio Carlos & Klotzle, Marcelo Cabus & De Oliveira, Erick Meira, 2020. "Can we still blame index funds for the price movements in the agricultural commodities market?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 84-93.
    3. Sania Wadud & Robert D. Durand & Marc Gronwald, 2021. "Connectedness between the Crude Oil Futures and Equity Markets during the Pre- and Post-Financialisation Eras," CESifo Working Paper Series 9202, CESifo.
    4. Valenti, Daniele & Bertoni, Danilo & Cavicchioli, Davide & Olper, Alessandro, 2023. "Understanding the role of supply and demand factors in the global wheat market: a Structural Vector Autoregressive approach," FEEM Working Papers 338780, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    5. Ana I. Sanjuán-López & Philip J. Dawson, 2017. "Volatility Effects of Index Trading and Spillovers on US Agricultural Futures Markets: A Multivariate GARCH Approach," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(3), pages 822-838, September.
    6. Kalkuhl, Matthias & von Braun, Joachim & Torero, Maximo, 2016. "Food Price Volatility and Its Implications for Food Security and Policy," MPRA Paper 72164, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Steven D. Baker, 2021. "The Financialization of Storable Commodities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(1), pages 471-499, January.

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