Evaluating Derivatives Market in India

Evaluating Derivatives Market in India Introduction to Derivatives Market The emergence of the market for derivative products, most notably forwards, futures and options, can be traced back to the willingness of risk-averse economic agents to guard themselves against uncertainties arising out of fluctuations in asset prices. By their very nature, the financial markets are marked by a very high degree of volatility. Through the use of derivative products, it is possible to partially or fully transfer price risks by locking-in asset prices. As instruments of risk management, these generally do not influence the fluctuations in the underlying asset prices. However, by locking-in asset prices, derivative products minimize the impact of fluctuations in asset prices on the profitability and cash flow situation of risk-averse investors. Derivative products initially emerged, as hedging devices against fluctuations in commodity prices and commodity-linked derivatives remained the sole form of such products for almost three hundred years. The financial derivatives came into spotlight in post-1970 period due to growing instability in the financial markets. However, since their emergence, these products have become very popular and by 1990s, they accounted for about two-thirds of total transactions in derivative products. In recent years, the market for financial derivatives has grown tremendously both in terms of variety of instruments available, their complexity and also turnover. In the class of equity derivatives, futures and options on stock indices have gained more popularity than on individual stocks, especially among institutional investors, who are major users of index-linked derivatives. Even small investors find these useful due to high correlation of the popular indices with various portfolios and ease of use. The lower costs associated with index derivatives vies-versa derivative products based on individual securities is another reason for their growing use. The following factors have been driving the growth of financial derivatives: Increased volatility in asset prices in financial markets, Increased integration of national financial markets with the international markets, Marked improvement in communication facilities and sharp decline in their costs, SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study is limited to â€Å"Derivatives with special reference to futures and option in the Indian context and the Networth Stock Broking Ltd., data for this study is from 27-DEC -2007 to 31-JAN- 2008 which represent sample for the study. The study cant be said as totally perfect. This study is only a humble attempt at evaluating derivatives market in Indian context. The study is not based on the international perspective of derivatives markets, which exists in NASDAQ, CBOT etc. HYPOTHESIS The Market data that has been used to see whether the Break Even Point (BEP) calculated can be used has an indicator to the investor to maximize the returns on its investment. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To understand the concept of derivatives in a more appropriate way. 2. To study various trends in derivative market. 3. To understand the scope and growth of derivatives in India. 4. To study the role of derivatives in Indian financial market 5. To study in detail the role of the future and options. METHODOLOGY 1. Data Collection : For this study the date collected is of secondary nature, The data of the Nifty index have been collected from â€Å"Economic Times† and internet. The data collected for January contract and the date consist from period 27th December, 2007 to 31st January, 2008. 2. Analysis: The analysis consist of the tabulation of the data assessing the profitability positions of the futures buyer and seller and also option holder and the option writer, representing the data with s and making the interpretation using data. TIME PERIOD Data collected for analyzing this study is from 27-DEC 2007 to 31-JAN-2008. Time taken to complete this project is 45 days LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study is conducted in short period, due to which the study may not be detailed in all aspect. Lack of time on performing the project in detail study. Unavailability of software package which will help in calculation Lack of software knowledge to determine the correct future estimations. The data collected is completely restricted to 31st January, 2008; hence this analysis cannot be taken universal. CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION TO CAPITAL MARKET COMPANY PROFILE Introduction To Indian Capital Market Indias financial market began its transformation path in the early 1990s. The banking sector witnessed sweeping changes, including the elimination of interest rate controls, reductions in reserve and liquidity requirements and an overhaul in priority sector lending. Persistent efforts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to put in place effective supervision and prudential norms since then have lifted the country closer to global standards. Around the same time, Indias capital markets also began to stage extensive changes. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was established in 1992 with a mandate to protect investors and improvements into the microstructure of capital markets, while the repeal of the Controller of Capital Issues (CCI) in the same year removed the administrative controls over the pricing of new equity issues. Indias financial markets also began to embrace technology. Competition in the markets increased with the establishment of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1994, leading to a significant rise in the volume of transactions and to the emergence of new important instruments in financial intermediation. For over a century, Indias capital markets, which consist primarily of debt and equity markets, have increasingly played a significant role in mobilizing funds to meet public and private entities financing requirements. The advent of exchange-traded derivative instruments in 2000, such as options and futures, has enabled investors to better hedge their positions and reduce risks. In total, Indias debt and equity markets were equivalent to 130% of GDP at the end of 2005. This is an impressive stride, coming from just 75% in 1995, suggesting issuers growing confidence in market based financing. However, the size of the countrys capital markets relative to the United States, Malaysias and South Koreas remains low, implying a strong catch-up process for India. While some form of financial derivatives trading in India dates back to the 1870s, exchange traded derivative instruments started only in 2000. Then, stock index futures, with the Sensex 30 and the SP CNX Nifty indices as the underlying, began trading at the BSE and NSE. Since their inception, the basket of instruments has expanded and now features individual stock futures, and options for stock index and individual stocks. NATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE (NSE) The National Stock Exchange of India Limited has genesis in the report of the High Powered Study Group on Establishment of New Stock Exchanges, which recommended promotion of a National Stock Exchange by financial institutions (FIs) to provide access to investors from all across the country on an equal footing. Based on the recommendations, NSE was promoted by leading Financial Institutions at the behest of the Government of India and was incorporated in November 1992 as a tax-paying company unlike other stock exchanges in the country. On its recognition as a stock exchange under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 in April 1993, NSE commenced operations in the Wholesale Debt Market (WDM) segment in June 1994. The Capital Market (Equities) segment commenced operations in November 1994 and operations in Derivatives segment commenced in June 2000. NSE Mission 1. NSEs mission is setting the agenda for change in the securities markets in India. The NSE was set-up with the main objectives of: 2. Establishing a nation-wide trading facility for equities, debt instruments and hybrids, 3. Ensuring equal access to investors all over the country through an appropriate communication network, 4. Providing a fair, efficient and transparent securities market to investors using electronic trading systems, 5. Enabling shorter settlement cycles and book entry settlements systems, and 6. Meeting the current international standards of securities markets. The standards set by NSE in terms of market practices and technologies have become industry benchmarks and are being emulated by other market participants. NSE is more than a mere market facilitator. Its that force which is guiding the industry towards new horizons and greater opportunities. Equity shares By investing in shares, investors basically buy the ownership right to the company. When the company makes profits, shareholders receive their share of the profits in the form of dividends. In addition, when company performs well and the future expectation from the company is very high, the price of the companys shares goes up in the market. This allows shareholders to sell shares at a profit, leading to capital gains. Investors can invest in shares either through primary market offerings or in the secondary market. The primary market has shown abnormal returns to investors who subscribed for the public issue and were allotted shares. Stock Exchange: In a stock exchange a person who wishes to sell his security is called a seller, and a person who is willing to buy the particular stock is called as the buyer. The rate of stock depends on the simple law of demand and supply. If the demand of shares of company x is greater than its supply then its price of its security increases. In Online Exchange the trading is done on a computer network. The sellers and buyers log on to the network and propose their bids. The system is designed in such ways that at any given instance, the buyers/sellers are bidding at the best prices. The transaction cycle for purchasing and selling shares online is depicted below: TRANSACTION CYCLE Role of Clearing House The clearing house of the exchange interposes itself between the buyer(the long position) and the seller (the short position).this mean clearing house becomes seller to buyer and the buyer to seller. Because the clearing house is obliged to perform on its side of each contract, it is the only party that can hurt if any trader fail to fulfill his obligation. The clearing house protects its interest by imposing margin requirements on traders. Ever since its inception in 1993, Networth Stock Broking Limited (NSBL) has sought to provide premium financial services and information, so that the power of investment is vested with the client. We equip those who invest with us to make intelligent investment decisions, providing them with the flexibility to either tap into our extensive knowledge and expertise, or make their own decisions. NSBL made its debut in to the financial world by servicing Institutional clients, and proved its high scalability of operations by growing exponentially over a short period of time. Now, powered by a top-notch research team and a network of experts, we provide an array of retail broking services across the globe spanning India, Middle East, Europe and America. Currently, we are a Depository participant at Central Depository Services India (CDSL) and aim to become one at National Securities Depository (NSDL) by the end of this quarter. Our strong support, technology-driven operations and busines s units of research, distribution and advisory coalesce to provide you with a one-stop solution to cater to all your broking and investment needs. Our customers have been participating in the booming commodities markets with our membership at Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and National Commodity Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) through Networth Stock.Com Ltd. NSBL is a member of theNational Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) andthe Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd (BSE)on the Capital Market and Derivatives (Futures Options) segment. It is also a listed company at theBSE. Corporate Overview †¢ Networth is a listed entity on the BSE since 1994 †¢ The company is professionally managed with experience of over a decade in broking and advisory services †¢ Networth is a member of BSE, NSE, MCX, NCDEX, AMFI, CDSL †¢ Current network in Southern and Western India with 107 branches and franchise. Presence in major metros and cities †¢ Empanelled with prominent domestic Mutual Funds, Insurance Companies, Banks, Financial Institutions and Foreign Financial Institutions. †¢ Strong experienced professional team †¢ 20000+ strong and growing client base †¢ Average daily broking turnover of around INR 1 billion †¢ AUM with Investment Advisory Services of around INR 3 billion Products and services Portfolio v Retail and institutional broking v Research for institutional and retail clients v Distribution of financial products v Corporate finance v Net trading v Depository services v Commodities Broking Infrastructure †¢ A corporate office and 3 divisional offices in CBD of Mumbai which houses state-of-the-art dealing room, research wing management and back offices. †¢ All of 107 branches and franchisees are fully wired and connected to hub at corporate office at Mumbai. Add on branches also will be wired and connected to central hub †¢ Web enabled connectivity and software in place for net trading. †¢ 60 operative IDs for dealing room †¢ State of the Art accounting and billing system, on line risk management system in place with 100% redundancy back up. †¢ In house technology back up team to ensure un-interrupted connectivity. Online Trading There is nothing more exhilarating, more daring and more rewarding than making the right trade at the right time. Welcome to our Internet trading platform which brings you a world class experience of online trading. Clicknetworth is a software application suite that offers comprehensive facilities so users can watch Market Prices while they trade. The application is highly integrated which enables the user to place orders in live environment. The user screen is fully customizable by the user to display information based upon his/her own preferences Trading Platform Networth offers advanced and convenient online trading facility with N-easy and N-swift which are completely safe and secure. N-easy: A Powerful and user friendly browser based platform ideally suited for Investors N-swift: An Advanced EXE based application suite that is ideally suited for Traders Features:- * Clients can trade in NSE Cash, NSE FO and BSE Cash. * Single screen order / trade entry as you can add NSE-Cash, Derivative BSE scripts in the same Market Watch. * Features such as Lock the Screen, TOP 20 by Most Active Volume, Value, Gainers, Losers, Market Movement and more will help you customise your trading platform according to your specific focus. * Facility for Online Funds Transfer. Your credit limit increases instantaneously on completion of a successful transfer. Total holdings with NSBL and NSBL CDSL DP (POA) can be viewed and delivery sale can also be made. * Needless to mention other standard features as Real-Time market data, live order status, Real time position updates etc. CHAPTER III REVIEW OF LITERATURE DEFINATION OF DERIVATIVE Derivative is a product whose value is derived from the value of one or more basic variables, called bases (underlying asset, index, or reference rate), in a contractual manner. There are two types of derivatives that are trades on NSE; namely Futures and Options. The underlying asset can be equity, forex, commodity or any other asset. For example, wheat farmers may wish to sell their harvest at a future date to eliminate the risk of a change in prices by that date. Such a transaction is an example of a derivative. The price of this derivative is driven by the spot price of wheat which is the â€Å"underlying†. In the Indian context the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SC(R) A) defines â€Å"equity derivative† to include A security derived from a debt instrument, share, loan whether secured or unsecured, risk instrument or contract for differences or any other form of security. A contract, which derives its value from the prices, or index of prices, of underlying securities.The key to understanding derivatives is the notion of a premium. Some derivatives are compared to insurance. Just as you pay an insurance company a premium in order to obtain some protection against a specific event, there are derivative products that have a payoff contingent upon the occurrence of some event for which you must pay a premium in advance. Example: When one buys a cash instrument, for example 100 shares of ABC Inc., the payoff is linear (disregarding the impact of dividends). If we buy the shares at Rs50 and the price appreciates to Rs75, we have made Rs2500 on a mark-to-market basis. If we buy the shares at Rs50 and the price depreciates to Rs25, we have lost Rs2500 on a mark-to-market basis. Instead of buying the shares in the cash market, we could have bought a 1 month call option on ABC stock with a strike price of Rs50, giving us the right but not the obligation to purchase ABC stock at Rs50 in 1 months time. Instead of immediately paying Rs5000 and receiving the stock, we might pay Rs700 today for this right. If ABC goes to Rs75 in 1 months time, we can exercise the option, buy the stock at the strike price and sell the stock in the open market, locking in a net profit of Rs1800. If the ABC stock price goes to Rs25, we have only lost the premium of Rs700. If ABC trades as high as Rs100 after we have bought the option but before it expires, we can sell the option in the market for a price of Rs5300. Classification of Derivatives Types of Derivatives The most commonly used derivatives contracts in NSE are ,FUTURES and OPTIONS which we shall discuss in detail later. Here we take a brief look at various derivatives contracts that have come to be used. Forwards: A forward contract is a customized contract between two entities, where settlement takes place on a specific date in the future at todays pre-agreed price. Futures: A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a certain time in the future at a certain price. Futures contracts are special types of forward contracts in the sense that the former are standardized exchange-traded contracts. Options: Options are of two types calls and puts. Calls give the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy a given quantity of the underlying asset, at a given price on or before a given future date. Puts give the buyer the right, but not the obligation to sell a given quantity of the underlying asset at a given price on or before a given date. Swaps: Swaps are private agreements between two parties to exchange cash flows in the future according to a prearranged formula. They can be regarded as portfolios of forward contracts. Warrants: Options generally have lives of upto one year, the majority of options traded on options exchanges having a maximum maturity of nine months. Longer-dated options are called warrants and are generally traded over-the-counter. LEAPS: The acronym LEAPS means Long-Term Equity Anticipation Securities. These are options having a maturity of upto three years. Baskets: Basket options are options on portfolios of underlying assets. The underlying asset is usually a moving average or a basket of assets. Equity index options are a form of basket options. Participants and Functions v Hedgers face risk associated with the price of an asset. They use futures or options markets to reduce or eliminate this risk. v Speculators wish to bet on future movements in the price of an asset. Futures and options contracts can give them an extra leverage; that is, they can increase both the potential gains and potential losses in a speculative venture. v Arbitrageurs are in business to take advantage of a discrepancy between prices in two different markets. If, for example, they see the futures price of an asset getting out of line with the cash price, they will take offsetting positions in the two markets to lock in a profit. The derivative market performs a number of economic functions. First, prices in an organized derivatives market reflect the perception of market participants about the future and lead the prices of underlying to the perceived future level. The prices of derivatives converge with the prices of the underlying at the expiration of derivative contract. Thus derivatives help in discovery of future as well as current prices. Second, the derivatives market helps to transfer risks from those who have them but may not like them to those who have appetite for them. Third, derivatives, due to their inherent nature, are linked to the underlying cash markets. With the introduction of derivatives, the underlying market witnesses higher trading volumes because of participation by more players who would not otherwise participate for lack of an arrangement to transfer risk. Fourth, speculative trades shift to a more controlled environment of derivatives market. In the absence of an organized derivati ves market, speculators trade in the underlying cash markets. Margining, monitoring and surveillance of the activities of various participants become extremely difficult in these kind of mixed markets. Fifth, an important incidental benefit that flows from derivatives trading is that it acts as a catalyst for new entrepreneurial activity. The derivatives have a history of attracting many bright, creative, well-educated people with an entrepreneurial attitude. They often energize others to create new businesses, new products and new employment opportunities, the benefit of which are immense. Sixth, derivatives markets help increase savings and investment in the long run. Transfer of risk enables market participants to expand their volume of activity. Derivatives thus promote economic development to the extent the later depends on the rate of savings and investment. The first stock index futures contract was traded at Kansas City Board of Trade. Currently the most popular index futures contract in the world is based on SP 500 index, traded on Chicago Mercantile Exchange. During the mid eighties, financial futures became the most active derivative instruments generating volumes many times more than the commodity futures. Index futures, futures on T-bills and Euro-Dollar futures are the three most popular futures contracts traded today. Other popular international exchanges that trade derivatives are LIFFE in England, DTB in Germany, SGX in Singapore, TIFFE in Japan, MATIF in France, etc. Indian Derivatives Market Starting from a controlled economy, India has moved towards a world where prices fluctuate every day. The introduction of risk management instruments in India gained momentum in the last few years due to liberalisation process and Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) efforts in creating currency forward market. Derivatives are an integral part of liberalisation process to manage risk. NSE gauging the market requirements initiated the process of setting up derivative markets in India. In July 1999, derivatives trading commenced in India CHRONOLOGY OF INSTRUMENTS 1991 Liberalisation process initiated 14-Dec-1995 NSE asked SEBI for permission to trade index futures. 18-Nov-1996 SEBI setup L.C.Gupta Committee to draft a policy framework for index futures. 11-May-1998 L.C.Gupta Committee submitted report. 7-July-1999 RBI gave permission for OTC forward rate agreements (FRAs) and interest rate swaps. 24-May-2000 SIMEX chose Nifty for trading futures and options on an Indian index. 25-May-2000 SEBI gave permission to NSE and BSE to do index futures trading. 9-June-2000 Trading of BSE Sensex futures commenced at BSE. 12-June-2000 Trading of Nifty futures commenced at NSE. 25-Sep-2000 Nifty futures trading commenced at SGX. 2-June-2001 Individual Stock Options Derivatives SWAPS A contract between two parties, referred to as counter parties, to exchange two streams of payments for agreed period of time. The payments, commonly called legs or sides, are calculated based on the underlying notional using applicable rates. Swaps contracts also include other provisional specified by the counter parties. Swaps are not debt instrument to raise capital, but a tool used for financial management. Swaps are arranged in many different currencies and different periods of time. US$ swaps are most common followed by Japanese yen, sterling and Deutsche marks. The length of past swaps transacted has ranged from 2 to 25 years. Swaps Pricing: There are four major components of a swap price. v Benchmark price v Liquidity (availability of counter parties to offset the swap). v Transaction cost v Credit risk Benchmark Price:Swap rates are based on a series of benchmark instruments. They may be quoted as a spread over the yield on these benchmark instruments or on an absolute interest rate basis. In the Indian markets the common benchmarks are MIBOR, 14, 91, 182 364 day T-bills, CP rates and PLR rates. Liquidity: which is function of supply and demand, plays an important role in swaps pricing? This is also affected by the swap duration. It may be difficult to have counter parties for long duration swaps, specially so in India Transaction costs include the cost of hedging a swap. Transaction cost: Say in case of a bank, which has a floating obligation of 91 days T. Bill. Now in order to hedge the bank would go long on a 91 day T. Bill. For doing so the bank must obtain funds. The transaction cost would thus involve such a difference. Yield on 91 day T. Bill 9.5% Cost of fund (e.g.- Repo rate) 10% The transaction cost in this case would involve 0.5% Credit risk: Credit risk must also be built into the swap pricing. Based upon the credit rating of the counterparty a spread would have to be incorporated. Say for e.g. it would be 0.5% for an AAA rating. Introduction to Futures Future contract is the simplest of all financial assets. A future contract is just an agreement between two parties to buy and sell an asset at a fixed price in the future. Futures markets were originally designed to solve the problems of forward markets. Future contracts are managed through an organized future exchange Future contracts are a type of derivative security because the value of the contract is derived from an underlying instrument. The exchange specifies standard features of future contract to facilitate liquidity in the futures contracts. The net value of a future contract is zero because future contract represents a zero sum game between a buyer and a seller. Future contracts are standardized to facilitate convenience in trading and price reporting. A futures contract may be offset before maturity by taking opposite position which means that future trading can be closed by entering into equal into an equal and opposite transaction. Future contract must specify at least five terms of the contract and they are: 1) The identity of the underlying commodity or financial instrument. 2) The future contract size. 3) The future maturity date. 4) The delivery or settlement procedure. 5) The future price. TYPES OF FUTURES A commodity future is a future contract in a commodity like cocoa, aluminum etc. A financial future is a futures contract in a financial instrument like Treasury bill, currency or stock index. Futures contracts are: v Futures contracts are organized/ standardized contracts, which are traded on the exchanges. v These contracts, being standardized and traded on the exchanges are very liquid in nature. v In futures market, clearing corporation/ house provides the settlement guarantee. v Every futures contract is a forward contract traded on exchange and clearing corporation/house provides the settlement guarantee for trades. v Are of standard quantity; standard quality (in case of commodities). Have standard delivery time and place. What Does Future Trading Apply to Indian Stocks? Future trading is a type of investments which involves speculating on the prices of securities in the future. Securities traded in future contract can be a stock (Reliance India Limited, TISCO, etc), Stock Index (NSE Nifty Index), commodity (Gold, Silver, Agricultural Products, etc) Unlike stocks and bonds, when we involve in future trading then we do not buy or own anything but we speculate the future direction of the price in the security we are trading. Suppose we speculate on Stock Index (NSE Nifty index). If we speculate that the future price of Stock Index can go up in the future then we would buy a future contract. If we speculate that the future price of Stock Index can go down then we would sell a future contract. Futures Trading accounts A future exchange allows only exchange members to trade on the exchange floor. There are various things to know about future trading accounts. The first thing is that a margin is always required. A margin is the amount of money that we put up to control a future contract. http://www.tradingpicks.com/futures.htm How to Trade in SP CNX NIFTY Futures? http://www.nse-india.com/content/press/futidx_invguide.pdf Trading on CNX Nifty futures is just like trading in other security. Before buying or selling we use to predict the direction of the market and based on that prediction we buy or sell the index. A profit is made when the closing price on the expiration day is higher than the value at which we had bought the index. If we had predicted a bearish market, and had sold the index then we make a profit. Trading cycle for SP CNX Nifty Futures The trading cycle for SP CNX Nifty future contracts is 3 months. On the trading day a new contract is introduced. This contract will be introduced for three month duration. As a result there will be 3 contracts available for trading in the market ( i.e., first contract is in near month, second in mid month and third in far month duration) Example If Trading in NIFTY Starts from January 2002 then following chart gives us the beginning and expiry date of the contract. Contract/Month Expiry/Settlement January 2002 January 28th February 2002 February 20th March 2002 March 19th After January 28th, the first trading day will be on January 29th. Contract/Month Expiry/Settlement February 2002 February 24th March 2002 March 30th April 2002 April 20th To trade futures in NSE, traders have to open an account with a future brokerage firm known as Future Commission Merchant (FCM). FCM records the trades, monitors them and advice t Evaluating Derivatives Market in India Evaluating Derivatives Market in India Introduction to Derivatives Market The emergence of the market for derivative products, most notably forwards, futures and options, can be traced back to the willingness of risk-averse economic agents to guard themselves against uncertainties arising out of fluctuations in asset prices. By their very nature, the financial markets are marked by a very high degree of volatility. Through the use of derivative products, it is possible to partially or fully transfer price risks by locking-in asset prices. As instruments of risk management, these generally do not influence the fluctuations in the underlying asset prices. However, by locking-in asset prices, derivative products minimize the impact of fluctuations in asset prices on the profitability and cash flow situation of risk-averse investors. Derivative products initially emerged, as hedging devices against fluctuations in commodity prices and commodity-linked derivatives remained the sole form of such products for almost three hundred years. The financial derivatives came into spotlight in post-1970 period due to growing instability in the financial markets. However, since their emergence, these products have become very popular and by 1990s, they accounted for about two-thirds of total transactions in derivative products. In recent years, the market for financial derivatives has grown tremendously both in terms of variety of instruments available, their complexity and also turnover. In the class of equity derivatives, futures and options on stock indices have gained more popularity than on individual stocks, especially among institutional investors, who are major users of index-linked derivatives. Even small investors find these useful due to high correlation of the popular indices with various portfolios and ease of use. The lower costs associated with index derivatives vies-versa derivative products based on individual securities is another reason for their growing use. The following factors have been driving the growth of financial derivatives: Increased volatility in asset prices in financial markets, Increased integration of national financial markets with the international markets, Marked improvement in communication facilities and sharp decline in their costs, SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study is limited to â€Å"Derivatives with special reference to futures and option in the Indian context and the Networth Stock Broking Ltd., data for this study is from 27-DEC -2007 to 31-JAN- 2008 which represent sample for the study. The study cant be said as totally perfect. This study is only a humble attempt at evaluating derivatives market in Indian context. The study is not based on the international perspective of derivatives markets, which exists in NASDAQ, CBOT etc. HYPOTHESIS The Market data that has been used to see whether the Break Even Point (BEP) calculated can be used has an indicator to the investor to maximize the returns on its investment. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To understand the concept of derivatives in a more appropriate way. 2. To study various trends in derivative market. 3. To understand the scope and growth of derivatives in India. 4. To study the role of derivatives in Indian financial market 5. To study in detail the role of the future and options. METHODOLOGY 1. Data Collection : For this study the date collected is of secondary nature, The data of the Nifty index have been collected from â€Å"Economic Times† and internet. The data collected for January contract and the date consist from period 27th December, 2007 to 31st January, 2008. 2. Analysis: The analysis consist of the tabulation of the data assessing the profitability positions of the futures buyer and seller and also option holder and the option writer, representing the data with s and making the interpretation using data. TIME PERIOD Data collected for analyzing this study is from 27-DEC 2007 to 31-JAN-2008. Time taken to complete this project is 45 days LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study is conducted in short period, due to which the study may not be detailed in all aspect. Lack of time on performing the project in detail study. Unavailability of software package which will help in calculation Lack of software knowledge to determine the correct future estimations. The data collected is completely restricted to 31st January, 2008; hence this analysis cannot be taken universal. CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION TO CAPITAL MARKET COMPANY PROFILE Introduction To Indian Capital Market Indias financial market began its transformation path in the early 1990s. The banking sector witnessed sweeping changes, including the elimination of interest rate controls, reductions in reserve and liquidity requirements and an overhaul in priority sector lending. Persistent efforts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to put in place effective supervision and prudential norms since then have lifted the country closer to global standards. Around the same time, Indias capital markets also began to stage extensive changes. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was established in 1992 with a mandate to protect investors and improvements into the microstructure of capital markets, while the repeal of the Controller of Capital Issues (CCI) in the same year removed the administrative controls over the pricing of new equity issues. Indias financial markets also began to embrace technology. Competition in the markets increased with the establishment of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1994, leading to a significant rise in the volume of transactions and to the emergence of new important instruments in financial intermediation. For over a century, Indias capital markets, which consist primarily of debt and equity markets, have increasingly played a significant role in mobilizing funds to meet public and private entities financing requirements. The advent of exchange-traded derivative instruments in 2000, such as options and futures, has enabled investors to better hedge their positions and reduce risks. In total, Indias debt and equity markets were equivalent to 130% of GDP at the end of 2005. This is an impressive stride, coming from just 75% in 1995, suggesting issuers growing confidence in market based financing. However, the size of the countrys capital markets relative to the United States, Malaysias and South Koreas remains low, implying a strong catch-up process for India. While some form of financial derivatives trading in India dates back to the 1870s, exchange traded derivative instruments started only in 2000. Then, stock index futures, with the Sensex 30 and the SP CNX Nifty indices as the underlying, began trading at the BSE and NSE. Since their inception, the basket of instruments has expanded and now features individual stock futures, and options for stock index and individual stocks. NATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE (NSE) The National Stock Exchange of India Limited has genesis in the report of the High Powered Study Group on Establishment of New Stock Exchanges, which recommended promotion of a National Stock Exchange by financial institutions (FIs) to provide access to investors from all across the country on an equal footing. Based on the recommendations, NSE was promoted by leading Financial Institutions at the behest of the Government of India and was incorporated in November 1992 as a tax-paying company unlike other stock exchanges in the country. On its recognition as a stock exchange under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 in April 1993, NSE commenced operations in the Wholesale Debt Market (WDM) segment in June 1994. The Capital Market (Equities) segment commenced operations in November 1994 and operations in Derivatives segment commenced in June 2000. NSE Mission 1. NSEs mission is setting the agenda for change in the securities markets in India. The NSE was set-up with the main objectives of: 2. Establishing a nation-wide trading facility for equities, debt instruments and hybrids, 3. Ensuring equal access to investors all over the country through an appropriate communication network, 4. Providing a fair, efficient and transparent securities market to investors using electronic trading systems, 5. Enabling shorter settlement cycles and book entry settlements systems, and 6. Meeting the current international standards of securities markets. The standards set by NSE in terms of market practices and technologies have become industry benchmarks and are being emulated by other market participants. NSE is more than a mere market facilitator. Its that force which is guiding the industry towards new horizons and greater opportunities. Equity shares By investing in shares, investors basically buy the ownership right to the company. When the company makes profits, shareholders receive their share of the profits in the form of dividends. In addition, when company performs well and the future expectation from the company is very high, the price of the companys shares goes up in the market. This allows shareholders to sell shares at a profit, leading to capital gains. Investors can invest in shares either through primary market offerings or in the secondary market. The primary market has shown abnormal returns to investors who subscribed for the public issue and were allotted shares. Stock Exchange: In a stock exchange a person who wishes to sell his security is called a seller, and a person who is willing to buy the particular stock is called as the buyer. The rate of stock depends on the simple law of demand and supply. If the demand of shares of company x is greater than its supply then its price of its security increases. In Online Exchange the trading is done on a computer network. The sellers and buyers log on to the network and propose their bids. The system is designed in such ways that at any given instance, the buyers/sellers are bidding at the best prices. The transaction cycle for purchasing and selling shares online is depicted below: TRANSACTION CYCLE Role of Clearing House The clearing house of the exchange interposes itself between the buyer(the long position) and the seller (the short position).this mean clearing house becomes seller to buyer and the buyer to seller. Because the clearing house is obliged to perform on its side of each contract, it is the only party that can hurt if any trader fail to fulfill his obligation. The clearing house protects its interest by imposing margin requirements on traders. Ever since its inception in 1993, Networth Stock Broking Limited (NSBL) has sought to provide premium financial services and information, so that the power of investment is vested with the client. We equip those who invest with us to make intelligent investment decisions, providing them with the flexibility to either tap into our extensive knowledge and expertise, or make their own decisions. NSBL made its debut in to the financial world by servicing Institutional clients, and proved its high scalability of operations by growing exponentially over a short period of time. Now, powered by a top-notch research team and a network of experts, we provide an array of retail broking services across the globe spanning India, Middle East, Europe and America. Currently, we are a Depository participant at Central Depository Services India (CDSL) and aim to become one at National Securities Depository (NSDL) by the end of this quarter. Our strong support, technology-driven operations and busines s units of research, distribution and advisory coalesce to provide you with a one-stop solution to cater to all your broking and investment needs. Our customers have been participating in the booming commodities markets with our membership at Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and National Commodity Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) through Networth Stock.Com Ltd. NSBL is a member of theNational Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) andthe Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd (BSE)on the Capital Market and Derivatives (Futures Options) segment. It is also a listed company at theBSE. Corporate Overview †¢ Networth is a listed entity on the BSE since 1994 †¢ The company is professionally managed with experience of over a decade in broking and advisory services †¢ Networth is a member of BSE, NSE, MCX, NCDEX, AMFI, CDSL †¢ Current network in Southern and Western India with 107 branches and franchise. Presence in major metros and cities †¢ Empanelled with prominent domestic Mutual Funds, Insurance Companies, Banks, Financial Institutions and Foreign Financial Institutions. †¢ Strong experienced professional team †¢ 20000+ strong and growing client base †¢ Average daily broking turnover of around INR 1 billion †¢ AUM with Investment Advisory Services of around INR 3 billion Products and services Portfolio v Retail and institutional broking v Research for institutional and retail clients v Distribution of financial products v Corporate finance v Net trading v Depository services v Commodities Broking Infrastructure †¢ A corporate office and 3 divisional offices in CBD of Mumbai which houses state-of-the-art dealing room, research wing management and back offices. †¢ All of 107 branches and franchisees are fully wired and connected to hub at corporate office at Mumbai. Add on branches also will be wired and connected to central hub †¢ Web enabled connectivity and software in place for net trading. †¢ 60 operative IDs for dealing room †¢ State of the Art accounting and billing system, on line risk management system in place with 100% redundancy back up. †¢ In house technology back up team to ensure un-interrupted connectivity. Online Trading There is nothing more exhilarating, more daring and more rewarding than making the right trade at the right time. Welcome to our Internet trading platform which brings you a world class experience of online trading. Clicknetworth is a software application suite that offers comprehensive facilities so users can watch Market Prices while they trade. The application is highly integrated which enables the user to place orders in live environment. The user screen is fully customizable by the user to display information based upon his/her own preferences Trading Platform Networth offers advanced and convenient online trading facility with N-easy and N-swift which are completely safe and secure. N-easy: A Powerful and user friendly browser based platform ideally suited for Investors N-swift: An Advanced EXE based application suite that is ideally suited for Traders Features:- * Clients can trade in NSE Cash, NSE FO and BSE Cash. * Single screen order / trade entry as you can add NSE-Cash, Derivative BSE scripts in the same Market Watch. * Features such as Lock the Screen, TOP 20 by Most Active Volume, Value, Gainers, Losers, Market Movement and more will help you customise your trading platform according to your specific focus. * Facility for Online Funds Transfer. Your credit limit increases instantaneously on completion of a successful transfer. Total holdings with NSBL and NSBL CDSL DP (POA) can be viewed and delivery sale can also be made. * Needless to mention other standard features as Real-Time market data, live order status, Real time position updates etc. CHAPTER III REVIEW OF LITERATURE DEFINATION OF DERIVATIVE Derivative is a product whose value is derived from the value of one or more basic variables, called bases (underlying asset, index, or reference rate), in a contractual manner. There are two types of derivatives that are trades on NSE; namely Futures and Options. The underlying asset can be equity, forex, commodity or any other asset. For example, wheat farmers may wish to sell their harvest at a future date to eliminate the risk of a change in prices by that date. Such a transaction is an example of a derivative. The price of this derivative is driven by the spot price of wheat which is the â€Å"underlying†. In the Indian context the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SC(R) A) defines â€Å"equity derivative† to include A security derived from a debt instrument, share, loan whether secured or unsecured, risk instrument or contract for differences or any other form of security. A contract, which derives its value from the prices, or index of prices, of underlying securities.The key to understanding derivatives is the notion of a premium. Some derivatives are compared to insurance. Just as you pay an insurance company a premium in order to obtain some protection against a specific event, there are derivative products that have a payoff contingent upon the occurrence of some event for which you must pay a premium in advance. Example: When one buys a cash instrument, for example 100 shares of ABC Inc., the payoff is linear (disregarding the impact of dividends). If we buy the shares at Rs50 and the price appreciates to Rs75, we have made Rs2500 on a mark-to-market basis. If we buy the shares at Rs50 and the price depreciates to Rs25, we have lost Rs2500 on a mark-to-market basis. Instead of buying the shares in the cash market, we could have bought a 1 month call option on ABC stock with a strike price of Rs50, giving us the right but not the obligation to purchase ABC stock at Rs50 in 1 months time. Instead of immediately paying Rs5000 and receiving the stock, we might pay Rs700 today for this right. If ABC goes to Rs75 in 1 months time, we can exercise the option, buy the stock at the strike price and sell the stock in the open market, locking in a net profit of Rs1800. If the ABC stock price goes to Rs25, we have only lost the premium of Rs700. If ABC trades as high as Rs100 after we have bought the option but before it expires, we can sell the option in the market for a price of Rs5300. Classification of Derivatives Types of Derivatives The most commonly used derivatives contracts in NSE are ,FUTURES and OPTIONS which we shall discuss in detail later. Here we take a brief look at various derivatives contracts that have come to be used. Forwards: A forward contract is a customized contract between two entities, where settlement takes place on a specific date in the future at todays pre-agreed price. Futures: A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a certain time in the future at a certain price. Futures contracts are special types of forward contracts in the sense that the former are standardized exchange-traded contracts. Options: Options are of two types calls and puts. Calls give the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy a given quantity of the underlying asset, at a given price on or before a given future date. Puts give the buyer the right, but not the obligation to sell a given quantity of the underlying asset at a given price on or before a given date. Swaps: Swaps are private agreements between two parties to exchange cash flows in the future according to a prearranged formula. They can be regarded as portfolios of forward contracts. Warrants: Options generally have lives of upto one year, the majority of options traded on options exchanges having a maximum maturity of nine months. Longer-dated options are called warrants and are generally traded over-the-counter. LEAPS: The acronym LEAPS means Long-Term Equity Anticipation Securities. These are options having a maturity of upto three years. Baskets: Basket options are options on portfolios of underlying assets. The underlying asset is usually a moving average or a basket of assets. Equity index options are a form of basket options. Participants and Functions v Hedgers face risk associated with the price of an asset. They use futures or options markets to reduce or eliminate this risk. v Speculators wish to bet on future movements in the price of an asset. Futures and options contracts can give them an extra leverage; that is, they can increase both the potential gains and potential losses in a speculative venture. v Arbitrageurs are in business to take advantage of a discrepancy between prices in two different markets. If, for example, they see the futures price of an asset getting out of line with the cash price, they will take offsetting positions in the two markets to lock in a profit. The derivative market performs a number of economic functions. First, prices in an organized derivatives market reflect the perception of market participants about the future and lead the prices of underlying to the perceived future level. The prices of derivatives converge with the prices of the underlying at the expiration of derivative contract. Thus derivatives help in discovery of future as well as current prices. Second, the derivatives market helps to transfer risks from those who have them but may not like them to those who have appetite for them. Third, derivatives, due to their inherent nature, are linked to the underlying cash markets. With the introduction of derivatives, the underlying market witnesses higher trading volumes because of participation by more players who would not otherwise participate for lack of an arrangement to transfer risk. Fourth, speculative trades shift to a more controlled environment of derivatives market. In the absence of an organized derivati ves market, speculators trade in the underlying cash markets. Margining, monitoring and surveillance of the activities of various participants become extremely difficult in these kind of mixed markets. Fifth, an important incidental benefit that flows from derivatives trading is that it acts as a catalyst for new entrepreneurial activity. The derivatives have a history of attracting many bright, creative, well-educated people with an entrepreneurial attitude. They often energize others to create new businesses, new products and new employment opportunities, the benefit of which are immense. Sixth, derivatives markets help increase savings and investment in the long run. Transfer of risk enables market participants to expand their volume of activity. Derivatives thus promote economic development to the extent the later depends on the rate of savings and investment. The first stock index futures contract was traded at Kansas City Board of Trade. Currently the most popular index futures contract in the world is based on SP 500 index, traded on Chicago Mercantile Exchange. During the mid eighties, financial futures became the most active derivative instruments generating volumes many times more than the commodity futures. Index futures, futures on T-bills and Euro-Dollar futures are the three most popular futures contracts traded today. Other popular international exchanges that trade derivatives are LIFFE in England, DTB in Germany, SGX in Singapore, TIFFE in Japan, MATIF in France, etc. Indian Derivatives Market Starting from a controlled economy, India has moved towards a world where prices fluctuate every day. The introduction of risk management instruments in India gained momentum in the last few years due to liberalisation process and Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) efforts in creating currency forward market. Derivatives are an integral part of liberalisation process to manage risk. NSE gauging the market requirements initiated the process of setting up derivative markets in India. In July 1999, derivatives trading commenced in India CHRONOLOGY OF INSTRUMENTS 1991 Liberalisation process initiated 14-Dec-1995 NSE asked SEBI for permission to trade index futures. 18-Nov-1996 SEBI setup L.C.Gupta Committee to draft a policy framework for index futures. 11-May-1998 L.C.Gupta Committee submitted report. 7-July-1999 RBI gave permission for OTC forward rate agreements (FRAs) and interest rate swaps. 24-May-2000 SIMEX chose Nifty for trading futures and options on an Indian index. 25-May-2000 SEBI gave permission to NSE and BSE to do index futures trading. 9-June-2000 Trading of BSE Sensex futures commenced at BSE. 12-June-2000 Trading of Nifty futures commenced at NSE. 25-Sep-2000 Nifty futures trading commenced at SGX. 2-June-2001 Individual Stock Options Derivatives SWAPS A contract between two parties, referred to as counter parties, to exchange two streams of payments for agreed period of time. The payments, commonly called legs or sides, are calculated based on the underlying notional using applicable rates. Swaps contracts also include other provisional specified by the counter parties. Swaps are not debt instrument to raise capital, but a tool used for financial management. Swaps are arranged in many different currencies and different periods of time. US$ swaps are most common followed by Japanese yen, sterling and Deutsche marks. The length of past swaps transacted has ranged from 2 to 25 years. Swaps Pricing: There are four major components of a swap price. v Benchmark price v Liquidity (availability of counter parties to offset the swap). v Transaction cost v Credit risk Benchmark Price:Swap rates are based on a series of benchmark instruments. They may be quoted as a spread over the yield on these benchmark instruments or on an absolute interest rate basis. In the Indian markets the common benchmarks are MIBOR, 14, 91, 182 364 day T-bills, CP rates and PLR rates. Liquidity: which is function of supply and demand, plays an important role in swaps pricing? This is also affected by the swap duration. It may be difficult to have counter parties for long duration swaps, specially so in India Transaction costs include the cost of hedging a swap. Transaction cost: Say in case of a bank, which has a floating obligation of 91 days T. Bill. Now in order to hedge the bank would go long on a 91 day T. Bill. For doing so the bank must obtain funds. The transaction cost would thus involve such a difference. Yield on 91 day T. Bill 9.5% Cost of fund (e.g.- Repo rate) 10% The transaction cost in this case would involve 0.5% Credit risk: Credit risk must also be built into the swap pricing. Based upon the credit rating of the counterparty a spread would have to be incorporated. Say for e.g. it would be 0.5% for an AAA rating. Introduction to Futures Future contract is the simplest of all financial assets. A future contract is just an agreement between two parties to buy and sell an asset at a fixed price in the future. Futures markets were originally designed to solve the problems of forward markets. Future contracts are managed through an organized future exchange Future contracts are a type of derivative security because the value of the contract is derived from an underlying instrument. The exchange specifies standard features of future contract to facilitate liquidity in the futures contracts. The net value of a future contract is zero because future contract represents a zero sum game between a buyer and a seller. Future contracts are standardized to facilitate convenience in trading and price reporting. A futures contract may be offset before maturity by taking opposite position which means that future trading can be closed by entering into equal into an equal and opposite transaction. Future contract must specify at least five terms of the contract and they are: 1) The identity of the underlying commodity or financial instrument. 2) The future contract size. 3) The future maturity date. 4) The delivery or settlement procedure. 5) The future price. TYPES OF FUTURES A commodity future is a future contract in a commodity like cocoa, aluminum etc. A financial future is a futures contract in a financial instrument like Treasury bill, currency or stock index. Futures contracts are: v Futures contracts are organized/ standardized contracts, which are traded on the exchanges. v These contracts, being standardized and traded on the exchanges are very liquid in nature. v In futures market, clearing corporation/ house provides the settlement guarantee. v Every futures contract is a forward contract traded on exchange and clearing corporation/house provides the settlement guarantee for trades. v Are of standard quantity; standard quality (in case of commodities). Have standard delivery time and place. What Does Future Trading Apply to Indian Stocks? Future trading is a type of investments which involves speculating on the prices of securities in the future. Securities traded in future contract can be a stock (Reliance India Limited, TISCO, etc), Stock Index (NSE Nifty Index), commodity (Gold, Silver, Agricultural Products, etc) Unlike stocks and bonds, when we involve in future trading then we do not buy or own anything but we speculate the future direction of the price in the security we are trading. Suppose we speculate on Stock Index (NSE Nifty index). If we speculate that the future price of Stock Index can go up in the future then we would buy a future contract. If we speculate that the future price of Stock Index can go down then we would sell a future contract. Futures Trading accounts A future exchange allows only exchange members to trade on the exchange floor. There are various things to know about future trading accounts. The first thing is that a margin is always required. A margin is the amount of money that we put up to control a future contract. http://www.tradingpicks.com/futures.htm How to Trade in SP CNX NIFTY Futures? http://www.nse-india.com/content/press/futidx_invguide.pdf Trading on CNX Nifty futures is just like trading in other security. Before buying or selling we use to predict the direction of the market and based on that prediction we buy or sell the index. A profit is made when the closing price on the expiration day is higher than the value at which we had bought the index. If we had predicted a bearish market, and had sold the index then we make a profit. Trading cycle for SP CNX Nifty Futures The trading cycle for SP CNX Nifty future contracts is 3 months. On the trading day a new contract is introduced. This contract will be introduced for three month duration. As a result there will be 3 contracts available for trading in the market ( i.e., first contract is in near month, second in mid month and third in far month duration) Example If Trading in NIFTY Starts from January 2002 then following chart gives us the beginning and expiry date of the contract. Contract/Month Expiry/Settlement January 2002 January 28th February 2002 February 20th March 2002 March 19th After January 28th, the first trading day will be on January 29th. Contract/Month Expiry/Settlement February 2002 February 24th March 2002 March 30th April 2002 April 20th To trade futures in NSE, traders have to open an account with a future brokerage firm known as Future Commission Merchant (FCM). FCM records the trades, monitors them and advice t

Analysis of Risk Management in Banking Activity

Analysis of Risk Management in Banking Activity The Case of Mauritian Banks Financial deregulation, globalization and liberalization have heightened considerable banking risks. Moreover, banks necessitate effective risk management strategies to promote banking welfare, protect outside agencies transacting with banks and to ensure stable banking operations. Risk managers need to focus on the diversity of risks and secure the interests of the overall banking sector. Risk Management is nowadays segregated where there is inconsistency in reporting, insufficient evaluation and low quality of management and becomes ineffective due to lack of pertinent information and improper analysis of the risk factors (Prabir Sen, 2009). Nonetheless, banks are unable to keep equilibrium in the situations of risks with huge losses and slight possibility of occurrence and risks of minimal losses with propensity of occurrence.   According to Talmimi and Hussein, Mazroezi and Mohammed (2007), risk management enables profits maximization and entails restrictions in risky activities. Risks can be averted by ordinary banking procedures, can be shifted to other institutions and can be managed actively in banks (Oldfield and Santemero, 1997). 1.1 Objectives of the Study The core objectives of the study are: To probe into the methodologies and aspects of the risk identification, assessment, monitoring, management and mitigation in Mauritian banks. To ascertain the effects of risk management on Mauritian banks. To determine to which extent risk management strategies like Basel II, derivatives, stress testing and Asset and Liability Management are applicable in Mauritian banks. To analyze the factors which improve Risk Management Practices in Mauritian banks and the perspectives about Banking Risk Management. To explore the reasons for managing risks in Mauritian banks. 1.2 Statement of the Problem There is an increasing awareness that the gradual intensification of banking risks impacts adversely on banking transactions which raises the concerns for risk management. The basis concern of this study is whether the Mauritian banks are using diverse risk management tactics and whether they are able to cope with the present and prospective challenges of risks and risk management requirements. 1.3 Significance and Contribution of the Study Bank managers can be conversant with divergent risk management techniques, their implications, effects and their relevance in banks through the practical aspects of risk management application. Bank managers can analyze the mechanisms resulting in the increasing level of risk exposures. Business administrators and management practitioners can use this study as guide to design efficient measures to mitigate risks in the process of developing marketing tactics. 1.4 Structure of the Project Chapter 2 elaborates on the literature review related to the risk management. Chapter 3 uncovers the general overview of Mauritian Banking Sector. Chapter 4 focuses on the detailed research methodology that has been used. Chapter 5 discusses the analysis and interpretation of the Mauritian banking risk management information. Chapter 6 probes on the recommendations to improve Risk Management practices in Mauritian banks. Chapter 7 concludes the whole findings of the project. PART 1- THEORETICAL ASPECTS 2.1 Introduction The advent of technology, globalization and the competition has encouraged banks in risk taking activities exposing banks to risks. Regulatory and supervisory institutions have emphasized the need for banks to enhance their risk management practices. Risks arise from the probabilities of the occurrence of losses and usually emerge from the internal and external banking transactions. 2.2 Banking Failures determinants The past decades have encountered numerous bank turbulences where high costs have been incurred on both local and overseas level (Gaytà ¡n and Johnson 2002, p.1), hindering the credit facilities, minimizing investment and consumption and generating bankruptcy cases (Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache, 1998a, p.81). According to them, the expensive monetary policy was used to force the sound banks to sustain the failures of insolvent banks which dissuade risk management. Fluctuations in interest rates post abolition of Brettons Woods System, higher banking competition, the non existence of intermediation margins, unskillful lending and investment tactics (Hellwig 1995, p.724-726 ) , the diminishing role of the oligopoly rents as stated by Gehrig (1995 cited Hellwig 1995, p.726 ), the lower level of capital reserves in banks, companies high reliance on banks for external finance mentioned by Rajan and Zingales (1998 cited Randall S. Kroszner 2007),systemic shocks caused by credit risks, the inability to diversify loans, trade deterioration and decrease in asset prices caused bank failures argued by Gorton (1988 cited Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache1998b, p.85). Moreover, regime changes like financial repression, liberalization and severe macroeconomic conditions encourage the entry of inexperienced players and preference for the acquisition of useless loans stated by Honohan (1997 cited Gaytan and Johnson 2002, p.4) have generated banking turbulences.   Non-performing loans increase where the asset returns are less than the returns to be paid on liabilities. Banks borrow in international currency and lend in local currency where the latter depreciates if the foreign exchange currency risk is shifted to local borrowers if they loaned in foreign currency. Banks buy insurance protection which encourages risk taking activities in the absence of prudential supervision and regulation. Bank managers engage in fraudulent actions by taking a portion of money for their personal use (Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache 1998c, p.85-87). Diamond and Dybrig (1983 cited Demirguc and Detragiache 1988d, p.86) argued that banks portfolio assets can worsen and depositors believe that other depositors are removing their money. Obstfeld and Rogoff (1995 cited Demirguc and Detragiache 1988e, p.87) mentioned that an anticipated devaluation could occasion bank runs in local banks and these deposits are shifted overseas and render the domestic banks without l iquidity. 2.3 Banking risks alsamakis et al (1996 cited Young 2001, p.57) argued that risks can be classified as pure risks and speculative risks. Pure risks which embody market risks, credit risks, interest rate risks, liquidity risks, country risk and settlement risk are associated with the probability of occurrence of loss or no loss and can be curtailed by risk management strategies. However, speculative risks comprising of operational risks, technology risk, reputational risk, compliance risk, legal risk and insurance risks involve an opportunity for gain or loss which can be hedged. 2.3.1 Credit Risks These major risks occur in banks when the borrower defaults on his obligation to reimburse the principal amount and the interest charged of the loan. Credit risks consist of three types of risks like (Arunkumar and Kotreshwar 2005, p.9): Transaction risk emerges from the fluctuations in the credit type and capital depending on how the bank underwrites individual loan transactions. Intrinsic Risk is risk prevailing in some institutions and on granting credit to some firms. Concentration risk is the average of transaction and intrinsic risk within the portfolio and encourages granting of loans to one borrower or one firm. 2.3.2 Interest rate risks Koch (1995 cited Beets and Styger 2001, p.9) defined interest rate risk as the future changes in a banks net interest income and market value of equity due to changes in the market interest rates. Kropas (1998 cited Martirosianien) enumerated three types of interest rate risks like: Reappraisal risk stems from the diverse periods of assets and liabilities Profitableness curve risk entailselements affecting the reappraisal risk. Basic point risk concernsflawed association between the receivable and payable interest rate. Option risk is where the benefits of options can adversely affect the banks equity. 2.3.3 Liquidity risks Liquidity risks occur when the banks are unable to meet the demands of the depositors because of lack of funds and the illiquid assets resulting eventually in bank insolvency. Credit, strategic, interest rate and reputation risks build up liquidity risks (Gaulia and Maserinskieno 2006, p.49). 2 types of liquidity risks are (ADB Report 2008, p.9): Funding liquidity risk is the potentiality to obtain money via the sale of bank property and by borrowing. Trading Liquidity risk arises from making a constant entry in market activities and dealings. 2.3.4 Market risks These risks arise when the value of the financial products changes negatively and consist of currency risk, interest rate risk, equity or debt security price risk (Gaulia and Maserinskieno 2006, p.49). 2.3.5 Operational Risks Basel Committee (2004) which imposes a capital charge defined operational risks as the risk of direct or indirect losses resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people, and systems, or from external events. This definition includes legal risk, but excludes strategic and reputational risk. 2.3.6 Reputational Risks These risks emerge when the number of clients decreases as they hold negative perspectives about the quality of services offered by the banks. 2.3.7 Strategic risks Strategic risks arise when bad decisions and projects are undertaken to develop a special system in banks due to the lack of resources, technological tools and the expert staff. 2.3.8 Foreign Exchange Risks These risks come when the prices of the currency fluctuate when engaging in foreign activities. There are 3 types of foreign exchange currency risks. (Deloitte Treasury and Capital Markets 2006) Transaction risk entails the future of original cash flows like imports and exports. Translation risk is concerned with the disparities between foreign exchange encountered when again transforming a foreign exchange value into the functional currency of the company concerned. Translation risks are usually converted into transaction risks on a late basis as earnings are repatriated or assets and liabilities are realized. Economic risk arises when indirectly exposed to buying and selling of goods from someone who buys goods overseas. 2.3.9 Systemic risks The bank cannot collect money from an organization it is dealing owing to the political, economic and social conditions prevailing in the country where the organization is situated. Country risk includes political, economic risk and transfer risk (National Bank of Serbia). 2.3.10 Legal Risks Legal Risks are losses incurred when the bank is sanctioned by a court for the non-compliance with the lawful rules and regulations and on not fulfilling its obligations towards the other parties (National Bank of Serbia). 2.3.11 Financial Fraud There is mismanagement of money and fraudulent actions from the members of the banks who embezzle some deposited money and when there is lack of security controls. 2.4 Bank risk management methods Greenspan (2004 cited in Lam 2007, p.3) said that It would be a mistake to conclude..that the only way to succeed in banking is through ever-greater size and diversity. Indeed, better risk management may be the only truly necessary element of success in banking. 2.4.1 Risk Management in Banking Sector Flaker (2006, p.4-8) proposes three methods: 2.4.1.1 Risk Identification The board must set the risk profile of the bank and identify the risk-return tradeoff. The bank should understand and identify types of risks exposures, their sources and their effects on the overall banking stability. 2.4.1.2 Risk management and reduction Risk management and minimization embody the following: (1) Allow loans after considering their financial status of the borrowers. (2) Comparison of the expected risks with the actual ones to diminish the loan losses in a bigger portfolio. (3) Loan losses will decrease due to diverse borrowers in the lending transactions. (4) Actual risks can be compensated through the opposite movement of other risks in particular financial activities. (5) Insurance negotiations can be used to protect against diverse risks. 2.4.1.3 Risk Management System This flexible system encompasses the combined structure of identification, evaluation and risk mitigation techniques. The Board must set up a strong risk culture and an effective governance structure where the risk management system aligns with the existing structure of the bank. Risk management procedures are possible when retaining higher level of capital to cushion the risks. Furthermore, the risk management functions comprises of: (1) Delegation of responsibilities to each banking segment (2) Auditing system to deal with the internal control processes and proper execution of risk controls (Nikolis, 2009). (3) Ongoing reviews, reporting, updating and the control of risk management system must be executed to ensure that they tailor with the banking aims (4) Training courses gaining know-how about the design of the risk management system and risk models must be offered to avert banking failures. (5) Establish rules and regulations and take necessary actions to those who contravene with them regarding risk management practices. (6) Participation of the banks, regulatory and supervisory bodies where information is disseminated externally and internally in the banks (Kroszner, 2007). 2.4.2 Asset and Liability Management Asset and Liability Management entails the design of organizational and governance models which define the risk approaches subject to the banking operations (ADB 2008, p.10). 2.4.2.1 ALM operations are as follows (ADB 2008, p.10-12): ALM ensures a risk and return management process where the combination of expertise and risk appetite is needed. ALM unit manages bank risks either through a passive or aggressive approach thus increasing its value. ALM unit investigates upon the static and dynamic mismatch; sensitivity of net interest income; and, market value under multiple scenarios -including under high stress. The net interest income evaluates the sophisticated banks operating results. It does not project the effects of risk compared to the economic value which can identify banking risks but is inaccessible to most banks. 5. Funds Transfer Pricing eradicates the interest rate risks by securing a spread in loan and deposits by allocating a transfer rate that mirror the repricing and cash flows of the balance sheet. Liquidity risks can be managed like diversification of financing sources, correlate the liquidity risks with other risks and use stress testing analysis. 2.4.3 Stress testing Practices Stress testing is another risk management strategy where Stress testing is a generic term used to describe various techniques and procedures employed by financial institutions to estimate their potential vulnerability to exceptional but plausible event (Kalfaoglou 2007, p.1). It uses statistical data analysis to risk management techniques, interpret and control the unfavorable outcomes. JP Morgan Chase has integrated stress testing equipment to manage and analyze the sources of possible banking risks, implement tests on the value of its portfolio, analyze its risk profile and contemplate the effects while applying diverse scenarios. An effective risk management scheme, stress testing project and bank staff expertise are requisite to tackle the statistical and economical fundamentals of stress testing with a data measurement tool. Board of directors should monitor the inputs of stress testing system (Seminar on Stress Testing Best Practices Risk Management Implications for Egyptian Banks 2007, p.2-3). Furthermore, the 2 types of stress testing strategies in banks like: (1) Simple Sensitivity Test deals with the rapid fluctuations of the portfolio value due to a risk factor on a short term basis. (2) Scenario analysis is used by large complex banks and is associated with a realistic and econometrics approach towards shifts in portfolio value due to changes in many risk factors. 2.4.4 Basel II Basel II published in June 2004, promotes banking supervision and emphasizes the specified capital requirements to cushion against potential losses. Basel II uses qualitative and quantitative requirements to monitor risk management strategies, to ensure compliance with regulations and reinforce corporate governance structure. The risk based supervision has enabled the supervisors to concentrate on the origins of banking risks. 2.4.4.1 Pillars of Basel II Pillar 1 entails capital needed for credit risk, market risk and operational risk. Moreover, banks under this regime must have a capital adequacy of 8 %. The methods for the computation of the capital charge to measure operational and credit risks (Ma, 2003)are: Basic Indicator Approach The size and capital requirements of the operational risk are estimated as a fixed proportion of the banks net interest income and non-interest income, measured as the average over the last three years. The Standardized Approach –The activities of the banks are allocated risk ratios weights related proportionally to the quantity distributed to every category. The aggregate capital requirements are the addition of all the requirements for the categories. Advanced Measurement Approach Computation of credit and market risks and the capital requirements are founded on the banks internal system for the measurement and management of operational risk for large banks An Internal Rating Based System The BIS stated that capital requirements must be founded on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of credit risk and must be used for diverse bank units. Founded IRB approach indicates that large banks should calculate probability default related to a borrowers grade to demonstrate the capital requirement level. However, under advanced IRB approach, these banks with an internal capital allocation can furnish the loss given default and exposure at defaults which are processed. Pillar 2 A supervisor must ensure that the bank has the adequate capital requirements to deal with risks. Banks estimate the internal capital adequacy by adopting quantitative and qualitative techniques. On-site investigation and ongoing reviews probe in capital adequacy. Pillar 3- Market discipline framework provides with detailed information about the banks risk profile to evaluate and report capital adequacy where risk exposures can be analyzed through quantitative and qualitative approach regularly. The risk based capital ratios and qualitative information about the internal procedures are needed for capital adequacy purposes. 2.4.5 Derivatives olatility of financial market, the liberalization and deregulation in the 1980s and 1970s has founded derivative markets (Hehn no date a, p.100). Derivatives are financial tools (like futures, commodities futures, options, swaps, forwards) whose returns, values and performance are derived from the returns, values and performance of the underlying assets. Hedging is covering against potential risk through an opposite position in the derivative markets. Bank International Settlements (2004 cited Bernadette A. Minton et al 2008, p.2) noticed that the quantity for derivatives has leveled from $698 billion in 2001 to $ 57,894 billion in 2007. Proper derivatives trading can insure against market risks and interest rate risks without retaining additional capital requirements in the balance sheet (Kaudman no date a, p.85). The determinants of derivatives use are banking size, balance sheet constituents, aggregate risk exposures, profitability, performance and risk taking incentives. Jason and Taylor (1994 cited in Hundman b, p.86) argued that speculation used with derivatives to make profitable returns can engenders more interest rate risks. Moreover, Tsetsekos and Varangis (1997 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005a, p.9) argued that financial derivatives promote increase in resource allocation and increase the productivity of investments projects. Jorion (1995 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005b, p.9) argued that in price discovery, market participants are offered information on balance prices that mirror the present demand on the supplies which enable effective decision making and reveal the position of the cash prices. Besides, liquid funds are increased and transaction costs are reduced and the futures market reflects the large transactions at prevailing prices (Roopnarine and Watson 2005c, p.10).   However, derivatives have generated enormous failures in Barings Collapse, Merill Lynch and Procter Gambler (Hehn b, p.101). Bank staff must be trained and educated about derivatives use. Derivatives trading can be constrained with the liquidity problems and legal uncertainties that emerged from the market price movement which is argued by Bhaumik (1998 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005d, p.11). Pricing of assets becomes difficult if there is insufficient information about the derivatives use. Principal agent problem is aggravated (Roopnarine and Watson 2005e, p.12). The derivatives market must be regulated properly to avert fraudulent actions and insolvency. Partnoy and Skeel (2006 cited Minton et al. 2008a, p.2) claimed that derivatives intensify systemic risks as banks do not control the lending activities. Hunter and Marshall (1999 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005f, p.28) argued that derivative markets attract investors whose private information are assimilated in the observable p rices and diminish the bid ask spread. The underlying cash prices reduce the transaction costs and the demand for money thereby affecting the operations of the monetary policy. Bedendo and Bruno (2009a, p.2-4) argued that credit transfer tools like securitization, credit derivatives and loan sales reduce regulatory capital requirements, motivate lending and enhance the banking liquidity positions. Moreover, they remedy the issues of information asymmetries as stated by Greenbaum and Thakor (1987 cited in Bedendo and Bruno 2009b, p.2). Duffee and Zhou (2001 cited Minton et al. 2008b, p.11) mentioned that credit derivatives are used if the loan sales or securitization techniques become expensive due to moral hazard problem and can shift default risk where information advantage is insignificant and retain some portion of risks where information advantage is huge. Banks use credit transfer tools as they have little access to inter-bank funding, huge funding expenses, low capital and want loan transfer (Bedendo and Bruno 2009c, p.8-9). CRT tools encourage banks to use originate-to-distribute models via aggressive lending occasions (Bedendo and Bruno 2009d, p.10) . Pricing of CRT tools is preferred by large banks having higher skills. Some loans sales have loan characteristics like small size, asymmetric issues and standardization convenient for securitization (Bedendo and Bruno 2009e, p.11). PART 2- EMPIRICAL REVIEW There is a growing literature that examines the relationship of banking risks with other many economic and financial variables. Moreover, this section describes the diversity of banking literature where different types of risk management strategies were tested and criticized. Even the links between different types of risks were experimented using banking information and models derived from other authors empirical work. Peek and Rosengren (1996) found that the large users of derivatives for speculation purposes are the troubled organizations using derivative information of 25 active banks in the United States from 1990 to 1994 in the US dummy regression model.   Banks are unable to track the risky aspects of these derivatives and guide their risk profile because of insufficient derivative information which could jeopardize the overall banking system. The onsite targeted examinations can enable banks to window dress their derivatives. Regulatory rules and formal transactions must be imposed on the banks taking unfavorable speculation and to constrain the moral hazard problem related to the derivative transactions. The use of speculative derivatives constitutes a stringent criminal penalty for breaching the established rules and regulations. Cebenoyan and Strahan (2001) used data of the sale and purchase of bank loans and those loans sold or purchased without recourse from all domestic commercial banks in the US from 1987 to 1993 in a regression model. They found that banks that engage in loan sales market to manage credit risks retained minimum level of capital which can be modified. Moreover, these banks retained more risky loans since they managed credit risks and were exposed to an unsafe position despite they endured lower level of risks compared to the other banks who manage risks without the loan sales market. Banks that employed the risk management techniques are more inclined to engage in risk taking activities. In fact, banks that manage credit risks lend to more risky loans depicting that complex risk management practices enhanced the bank credit position rather than minimizing the risks. Gatev et al (2006) investigated upon the presence of liquidity risk from both sides of bank balance sheets using some aspects of the Kashyap, Rajan and Stein (2002) model (that liquidity risks originating from the two fundamental businesses of banking promotes a diversification benefit) to analyze the link between deposit taking and commitment lending for large, publicly traded banks using regression analysis. Pooling deposits and commitment lending insure against banking liquidity risks and deposits activities insure against liquidity risk from idle loan activities. Bank stock-return volatility increases with idle loan transactions which is insignificant for banks with huge amount of depository dealings. The deposit-lending risk management becomes more reinforced when there is low level of liquidity and when troubled market participants deposit money in banks. Shao and Yeager (2007) used information of large publicly traded U.S BHCs from 1997 to 2005 using regression models to find the link between credit derivatives and their risk, return and lending issues. Banks buy credit derivatives to hedge against risks, to increase their equity and to compensate for the risky loan losses. However, they sell credit derivatives exposing themselves to risks to gain a premium charge. Moreover, the credit derivatives users enjoyed minimal returns and increase risks which are compensated. Their findings implied that on a general basis, the impact of credit derivatives on risk relies on the risk management strategies. Holod and Kitsul (2008) used panel data of stock returns from 53 U.S BHCs from 1986 to 2007. They found that after 1996, poor capitalized banks engaged in active trading transactions are more exposed to systemic risks compared to well capitalized banks. Banks cannot always have enough capital to cushion the market risks and must sell their illiquid assets or invest in the financial markets to compensate for the lack of capital to adhere to the market-based capital requirements. Capital requirements in Basel II do not help to reduce banking risks totally but contribute towards increasing systematic risks. Topi (2008) used a model of Allen and Gale (2004) where banks offer deposit contracts to ex ante identical, risk averse depositors who face heterogenous liquidity shocks for Bank of Finland which shows that the liquidity can impact on the banks motivations to minimize the default losses. The bank runs encourage the banks to avert the credit losses after the sub-prime mortgage crisis. However, the bank runs without a signal of the credit risks will reduce the banks willingness to curb the incidence of credit losses. The central bank can mitigate the propensity of liquidity stress for solvent banks rather than insolvent banks. In addition, this research provides an area for further research where the policy interventions and financial market innovations can be integrated in the model to identify the impact on banks motivations. Achou and Tenguh (2008) used regression model for Qatar Central Bank by executing a time-series analysis of financial data from 2001-2005 to examine the correlation between profitability and loan losses. They showed that effective credit risk management improves the financial result of the bank with the aim to secure the banking property and to work in the welfare of the market participants. Besides, their study revealed that credit risk management infrastructures are used to minimize the credit losses. Banks with efficient credit risk management system have insignificant loan default ratios, good revenues, minimal non-performing loans and are able to tackle credit losses. Minton et al. (2008) investigated the use of credit derivatives using U.S BHCs (assets overtakes $ 1 billion) and non-missing data on credit derivatives use from 1999 to 2005. Few companies use credit derivatives for dealer activities rather than for hedging against default losses. Credit derivatives use is constrained because the liquidity of credit derivatives market is favorable for investment grade companies since they can use derivatives to insure against the default losses. Therefore, the illiquidity of credit derivatives market affects the non-investment grade companies as they need confidential information for loans where higher cost of hedging will dissuade banks to hedge. Nevertheless, the bank borrowers get loans at a cheap price and banks are more on a competitive stance with the capital markets to provide loan facilities if the credit derivatives can help bank to retain capital. Credit derivatives can only promote the financial health of banks if they generate lesser ban king risks. The sub-prime crisis prior to 2007 has shown that the dealer activities via the credit derivatives contain many risks and in 2008 generated systemic risks. This study provides an avenue to assess the risks posed by credit derivatives when engaging in dealers transactions dealers. Bedendo and Bruno (2009) differentiated between the application of loan sales, securitization and credit derivatives for a sample of US large domestic commercial banks (total assets greater than one billion USD) for June 2002-2008   They found that the most CRT users employ conservative tools and large international banking corporations utilize credit derivatives. They detected that highly capitalized banks with less risky portfolios purchase credit derivative protection to hedge against capital inadequacy.   Moreover, banks with riskier loan portfoli Analysis of Risk Management in Banking Activity Analysis of Risk Management in Banking Activity The Case of Mauritian Banks Financial deregulation, globalization and liberalization have heightened considerable banking risks. Moreover, banks necessitate effective risk management strategies to promote banking welfare, protect outside agencies transacting with banks and to ensure stable banking operations. Risk managers need to focus on the diversity of risks and secure the interests of the overall banking sector. Risk Management is nowadays segregated where there is inconsistency in reporting, insufficient evaluation and low quality of management and becomes ineffective due to lack of pertinent information and improper analysis of the risk factors (Prabir Sen, 2009). Nonetheless, banks are unable to keep equilibrium in the situations of risks with huge losses and slight possibility of occurrence and risks of minimal losses with propensity of occurrence.   According to Talmimi and Hussein, Mazroezi and Mohammed (2007), risk management enables profits maximization and entails restrictions in risky activities. Risks can be averted by ordinary banking procedures, can be shifted to other institutions and can be managed actively in banks (Oldfield and Santemero, 1997). 1.1 Objectives of the Study The core objectives of the study are: To probe into the methodologies and aspects of the risk identification, assessment, monitoring, management and mitigation in Mauritian banks. To ascertain the effects of risk management on Mauritian banks. To determine to which extent risk management strategies like Basel II, derivatives, stress testing and Asset and Liability Management are applicable in Mauritian banks. To analyze the factors which improve Risk Management Practices in Mauritian banks and the perspectives about Banking Risk Management. To explore the reasons for managing risks in Mauritian banks. 1.2 Statement of the Problem There is an increasing awareness that the gradual intensification of banking risks impacts adversely on banking transactions which raises the concerns for risk management. The basis concern of this study is whether the Mauritian banks are using diverse risk management tactics and whether they are able to cope with the present and prospective challenges of risks and risk management requirements. 1.3 Significance and Contribution of the Study Bank managers can be conversant with divergent risk management techniques, their implications, effects and their relevance in banks through the practical aspects of risk management application. Bank managers can analyze the mechanisms resulting in the increasing level of risk exposures. Business administrators and management practitioners can use this study as guide to design efficient measures to mitigate risks in the process of developing marketing tactics. 1.4 Structure of the Project Chapter 2 elaborates on the literature review related to the risk management. Chapter 3 uncovers the general overview of Mauritian Banking Sector. Chapter 4 focuses on the detailed research methodology that has been used. Chapter 5 discusses the analysis and interpretation of the Mauritian banking risk management information. Chapter 6 probes on the recommendations to improve Risk Management practices in Mauritian banks. Chapter 7 concludes the whole findings of the project. PART 1- THEORETICAL ASPECTS 2.1 Introduction The advent of technology, globalization and the competition has encouraged banks in risk taking activities exposing banks to risks. Regulatory and supervisory institutions have emphasized the need for banks to enhance their risk management practices. Risks arise from the probabilities of the occurrence of losses and usually emerge from the internal and external banking transactions. 2.2 Banking Failures determinants The past decades have encountered numerous bank turbulences where high costs have been incurred on both local and overseas level (Gaytà ¡n and Johnson 2002, p.1), hindering the credit facilities, minimizing investment and consumption and generating bankruptcy cases (Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache, 1998a, p.81). According to them, the expensive monetary policy was used to force the sound banks to sustain the failures of insolvent banks which dissuade risk management. Fluctuations in interest rates post abolition of Brettons Woods System, higher banking competition, the non existence of intermediation margins, unskillful lending and investment tactics (Hellwig 1995, p.724-726 ) , the diminishing role of the oligopoly rents as stated by Gehrig (1995 cited Hellwig 1995, p.726 ), the lower level of capital reserves in banks, companies high reliance on banks for external finance mentioned by Rajan and Zingales (1998 cited Randall S. Kroszner 2007),systemic shocks caused by credit risks, the inability to diversify loans, trade deterioration and decrease in asset prices caused bank failures argued by Gorton (1988 cited Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache1998b, p.85). Moreover, regime changes like financial repression, liberalization and severe macroeconomic conditions encourage the entry of inexperienced players and preference for the acquisition of useless loans stated by Honohan (1997 cited Gaytan and Johnson 2002, p.4) have generated banking turbulences.   Non-performing loans increase where the asset returns are less than the returns to be paid on liabilities. Banks borrow in international currency and lend in local currency where the latter depreciates if the foreign exchange currency risk is shifted to local borrowers if they loaned in foreign currency. Banks buy insurance protection which encourages risk taking activities in the absence of prudential supervision and regulation. Bank managers engage in fraudulent actions by taking a portion of money for their personal use (Demirguc-Kunt and Detragiache 1998c, p.85-87). Diamond and Dybrig (1983 cited Demirguc and Detragiache 1988d, p.86) argued that banks portfolio assets can worsen and depositors believe that other depositors are removing their money. Obstfeld and Rogoff (1995 cited Demirguc and Detragiache 1988e, p.87) mentioned that an anticipated devaluation could occasion bank runs in local banks and these deposits are shifted overseas and render the domestic banks without l iquidity. 2.3 Banking risks alsamakis et al (1996 cited Young 2001, p.57) argued that risks can be classified as pure risks and speculative risks. Pure risks which embody market risks, credit risks, interest rate risks, liquidity risks, country risk and settlement risk are associated with the probability of occurrence of loss or no loss and can be curtailed by risk management strategies. However, speculative risks comprising of operational risks, technology risk, reputational risk, compliance risk, legal risk and insurance risks involve an opportunity for gain or loss which can be hedged. 2.3.1 Credit Risks These major risks occur in banks when the borrower defaults on his obligation to reimburse the principal amount and the interest charged of the loan. Credit risks consist of three types of risks like (Arunkumar and Kotreshwar 2005, p.9): Transaction risk emerges from the fluctuations in the credit type and capital depending on how the bank underwrites individual loan transactions. Intrinsic Risk is risk prevailing in some institutions and on granting credit to some firms. Concentration risk is the average of transaction and intrinsic risk within the portfolio and encourages granting of loans to one borrower or one firm. 2.3.2 Interest rate risks Koch (1995 cited Beets and Styger 2001, p.9) defined interest rate risk as the future changes in a banks net interest income and market value of equity due to changes in the market interest rates. Kropas (1998 cited Martirosianien) enumerated three types of interest rate risks like: Reappraisal risk stems from the diverse periods of assets and liabilities Profitableness curve risk entailselements affecting the reappraisal risk. Basic point risk concernsflawed association between the receivable and payable interest rate. Option risk is where the benefits of options can adversely affect the banks equity. 2.3.3 Liquidity risks Liquidity risks occur when the banks are unable to meet the demands of the depositors because of lack of funds and the illiquid assets resulting eventually in bank insolvency. Credit, strategic, interest rate and reputation risks build up liquidity risks (Gaulia and Maserinskieno 2006, p.49). 2 types of liquidity risks are (ADB Report 2008, p.9): Funding liquidity risk is the potentiality to obtain money via the sale of bank property and by borrowing. Trading Liquidity risk arises from making a constant entry in market activities and dealings. 2.3.4 Market risks These risks arise when the value of the financial products changes negatively and consist of currency risk, interest rate risk, equity or debt security price risk (Gaulia and Maserinskieno 2006, p.49). 2.3.5 Operational Risks Basel Committee (2004) which imposes a capital charge defined operational risks as the risk of direct or indirect losses resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people, and systems, or from external events. This definition includes legal risk, but excludes strategic and reputational risk. 2.3.6 Reputational Risks These risks emerge when the number of clients decreases as they hold negative perspectives about the quality of services offered by the banks. 2.3.7 Strategic risks Strategic risks arise when bad decisions and projects are undertaken to develop a special system in banks due to the lack of resources, technological tools and the expert staff. 2.3.8 Foreign Exchange Risks These risks come when the prices of the currency fluctuate when engaging in foreign activities. There are 3 types of foreign exchange currency risks. (Deloitte Treasury and Capital Markets 2006) Transaction risk entails the future of original cash flows like imports and exports. Translation risk is concerned with the disparities between foreign exchange encountered when again transforming a foreign exchange value into the functional currency of the company concerned. Translation risks are usually converted into transaction risks on a late basis as earnings are repatriated or assets and liabilities are realized. Economic risk arises when indirectly exposed to buying and selling of goods from someone who buys goods overseas. 2.3.9 Systemic risks The bank cannot collect money from an organization it is dealing owing to the political, economic and social conditions prevailing in the country where the organization is situated. Country risk includes political, economic risk and transfer risk (National Bank of Serbia). 2.3.10 Legal Risks Legal Risks are losses incurred when the bank is sanctioned by a court for the non-compliance with the lawful rules and regulations and on not fulfilling its obligations towards the other parties (National Bank of Serbia). 2.3.11 Financial Fraud There is mismanagement of money and fraudulent actions from the members of the banks who embezzle some deposited money and when there is lack of security controls. 2.4 Bank risk management methods Greenspan (2004 cited in Lam 2007, p.3) said that It would be a mistake to conclude..that the only way to succeed in banking is through ever-greater size and diversity. Indeed, better risk management may be the only truly necessary element of success in banking. 2.4.1 Risk Management in Banking Sector Flaker (2006, p.4-8) proposes three methods: 2.4.1.1 Risk Identification The board must set the risk profile of the bank and identify the risk-return tradeoff. The bank should understand and identify types of risks exposures, their sources and their effects on the overall banking stability. 2.4.1.2 Risk management and reduction Risk management and minimization embody the following: (1) Allow loans after considering their financial status of the borrowers. (2) Comparison of the expected risks with the actual ones to diminish the loan losses in a bigger portfolio. (3) Loan losses will decrease due to diverse borrowers in the lending transactions. (4) Actual risks can be compensated through the opposite movement of other risks in particular financial activities. (5) Insurance negotiations can be used to protect against diverse risks. 2.4.1.3 Risk Management System This flexible system encompasses the combined structure of identification, evaluation and risk mitigation techniques. The Board must set up a strong risk culture and an effective governance structure where the risk management system aligns with the existing structure of the bank. Risk management procedures are possible when retaining higher level of capital to cushion the risks. Furthermore, the risk management functions comprises of: (1) Delegation of responsibilities to each banking segment (2) Auditing system to deal with the internal control processes and proper execution of risk controls (Nikolis, 2009). (3) Ongoing reviews, reporting, updating and the control of risk management system must be executed to ensure that they tailor with the banking aims (4) Training courses gaining know-how about the design of the risk management system and risk models must be offered to avert banking failures. (5) Establish rules and regulations and take necessary actions to those who contravene with them regarding risk management practices. (6) Participation of the banks, regulatory and supervisory bodies where information is disseminated externally and internally in the banks (Kroszner, 2007). 2.4.2 Asset and Liability Management Asset and Liability Management entails the design of organizational and governance models which define the risk approaches subject to the banking operations (ADB 2008, p.10). 2.4.2.1 ALM operations are as follows (ADB 2008, p.10-12): ALM ensures a risk and return management process where the combination of expertise and risk appetite is needed. ALM unit manages bank risks either through a passive or aggressive approach thus increasing its value. ALM unit investigates upon the static and dynamic mismatch; sensitivity of net interest income; and, market value under multiple scenarios -including under high stress. The net interest income evaluates the sophisticated banks operating results. It does not project the effects of risk compared to the economic value which can identify banking risks but is inaccessible to most banks. 5. Funds Transfer Pricing eradicates the interest rate risks by securing a spread in loan and deposits by allocating a transfer rate that mirror the repricing and cash flows of the balance sheet. Liquidity risks can be managed like diversification of financing sources, correlate the liquidity risks with other risks and use stress testing analysis. 2.4.3 Stress testing Practices Stress testing is another risk management strategy where Stress testing is a generic term used to describe various techniques and procedures employed by financial institutions to estimate their potential vulnerability to exceptional but plausible event (Kalfaoglou 2007, p.1). It uses statistical data analysis to risk management techniques, interpret and control the unfavorable outcomes. JP Morgan Chase has integrated stress testing equipment to manage and analyze the sources of possible banking risks, implement tests on the value of its portfolio, analyze its risk profile and contemplate the effects while applying diverse scenarios. An effective risk management scheme, stress testing project and bank staff expertise are requisite to tackle the statistical and economical fundamentals of stress testing with a data measurement tool. Board of directors should monitor the inputs of stress testing system (Seminar on Stress Testing Best Practices Risk Management Implications for Egyptian Banks 2007, p.2-3). Furthermore, the 2 types of stress testing strategies in banks like: (1) Simple Sensitivity Test deals with the rapid fluctuations of the portfolio value due to a risk factor on a short term basis. (2) Scenario analysis is used by large complex banks and is associated with a realistic and econometrics approach towards shifts in portfolio value due to changes in many risk factors. 2.4.4 Basel II Basel II published in June 2004, promotes banking supervision and emphasizes the specified capital requirements to cushion against potential losses. Basel II uses qualitative and quantitative requirements to monitor risk management strategies, to ensure compliance with regulations and reinforce corporate governance structure. The risk based supervision has enabled the supervisors to concentrate on the origins of banking risks. 2.4.4.1 Pillars of Basel II Pillar 1 entails capital needed for credit risk, market risk and operational risk. Moreover, banks under this regime must have a capital adequacy of 8 %. The methods for the computation of the capital charge to measure operational and credit risks (Ma, 2003)are: Basic Indicator Approach The size and capital requirements of the operational risk are estimated as a fixed proportion of the banks net interest income and non-interest income, measured as the average over the last three years. The Standardized Approach –The activities of the banks are allocated risk ratios weights related proportionally to the quantity distributed to every category. The aggregate capital requirements are the addition of all the requirements for the categories. Advanced Measurement Approach Computation of credit and market risks and the capital requirements are founded on the banks internal system for the measurement and management of operational risk for large banks An Internal Rating Based System The BIS stated that capital requirements must be founded on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of credit risk and must be used for diverse bank units. Founded IRB approach indicates that large banks should calculate probability default related to a borrowers grade to demonstrate the capital requirement level. However, under advanced IRB approach, these banks with an internal capital allocation can furnish the loss given default and exposure at defaults which are processed. Pillar 2 A supervisor must ensure that the bank has the adequate capital requirements to deal with risks. Banks estimate the internal capital adequacy by adopting quantitative and qualitative techniques. On-site investigation and ongoing reviews probe in capital adequacy. Pillar 3- Market discipline framework provides with detailed information about the banks risk profile to evaluate and report capital adequacy where risk exposures can be analyzed through quantitative and qualitative approach regularly. The risk based capital ratios and qualitative information about the internal procedures are needed for capital adequacy purposes. 2.4.5 Derivatives olatility of financial market, the liberalization and deregulation in the 1980s and 1970s has founded derivative markets (Hehn no date a, p.100). Derivatives are financial tools (like futures, commodities futures, options, swaps, forwards) whose returns, values and performance are derived from the returns, values and performance of the underlying assets. Hedging is covering against potential risk through an opposite position in the derivative markets. Bank International Settlements (2004 cited Bernadette A. Minton et al 2008, p.2) noticed that the quantity for derivatives has leveled from $698 billion in 2001 to $ 57,894 billion in 2007. Proper derivatives trading can insure against market risks and interest rate risks without retaining additional capital requirements in the balance sheet (Kaudman no date a, p.85). The determinants of derivatives use are banking size, balance sheet constituents, aggregate risk exposures, profitability, performance and risk taking incentives. Jason and Taylor (1994 cited in Hundman b, p.86) argued that speculation used with derivatives to make profitable returns can engenders more interest rate risks. Moreover, Tsetsekos and Varangis (1997 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005a, p.9) argued that financial derivatives promote increase in resource allocation and increase the productivity of investments projects. Jorion (1995 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005b, p.9) argued that in price discovery, market participants are offered information on balance prices that mirror the present demand on the supplies which enable effective decision making and reveal the position of the cash prices. Besides, liquid funds are increased and transaction costs are reduced and the futures market reflects the large transactions at prevailing prices (Roopnarine and Watson 2005c, p.10).   However, derivatives have generated enormous failures in Barings Collapse, Merill Lynch and Procter Gambler (Hehn b, p.101). Bank staff must be trained and educated about derivatives use. Derivatives trading can be constrained with the liquidity problems and legal uncertainties that emerged from the market price movement which is argued by Bhaumik (1998 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005d, p.11). Pricing of assets becomes difficult if there is insufficient information about the derivatives use. Principal agent problem is aggravated (Roopnarine and Watson 2005e, p.12). The derivatives market must be regulated properly to avert fraudulent actions and insolvency. Partnoy and Skeel (2006 cited Minton et al. 2008a, p.2) claimed that derivatives intensify systemic risks as banks do not control the lending activities. Hunter and Marshall (1999 cited Roopnarine and Watson 2005f, p.28) argued that derivative markets attract investors whose private information are assimilated in the observable p rices and diminish the bid ask spread. The underlying cash prices reduce the transaction costs and the demand for money thereby affecting the operations of the monetary policy. Bedendo and Bruno (2009a, p.2-4) argued that credit transfer tools like securitization, credit derivatives and loan sales reduce regulatory capital requirements, motivate lending and enhance the banking liquidity positions. Moreover, they remedy the issues of information asymmetries as stated by Greenbaum and Thakor (1987 cited in Bedendo and Bruno 2009b, p.2). Duffee and Zhou (2001 cited Minton et al. 2008b, p.11) mentioned that credit derivatives are used if the loan sales or securitization techniques become expensive due to moral hazard problem and can shift default risk where information advantage is insignificant and retain some portion of risks where information advantage is huge. Banks use credit transfer tools as they have little access to inter-bank funding, huge funding expenses, low capital and want loan transfer (Bedendo and Bruno 2009c, p.8-9). CRT tools encourage banks to use originate-to-distribute models via aggressive lending occasions (Bedendo and Bruno 2009d, p.10) . Pricing of CRT tools is preferred by large banks having higher skills. Some loans sales have loan characteristics like small size, asymmetric issues and standardization convenient for securitization (Bedendo and Bruno 2009e, p.11). PART 2- EMPIRICAL REVIEW There is a growing literature that examines the relationship of banking risks with other many economic and financial variables. Moreover, this section describes the diversity of banking literature where different types of risk management strategies were tested and criticized. Even the links between different types of risks were experimented using banking information and models derived from other authors empirical work. Peek and Rosengren (1996) found that the large users of derivatives for speculation purposes are the troubled organizations using derivative information of 25 active banks in the United States from 1990 to 1994 in the US dummy regression model.   Banks are unable to track the risky aspects of these derivatives and guide their risk profile because of insufficient derivative information which could jeopardize the overall banking system. The onsite targeted examinations can enable banks to window dress their derivatives. Regulatory rules and formal transactions must be imposed on the banks taking unfavorable speculation and to constrain the moral hazard problem related to the derivative transactions. The use of speculative derivatives constitutes a stringent criminal penalty for breaching the established rules and regulations. Cebenoyan and Strahan (2001) used data of the sale and purchase of bank loans and those loans sold or purchased without recourse from all domestic commercial banks in the US from 1987 to 1993 in a regression model. They found that banks that engage in loan sales market to manage credit risks retained minimum level of capital which can be modified. Moreover, these banks retained more risky loans since they managed credit risks and were exposed to an unsafe position despite they endured lower level of risks compared to the other banks who manage risks without the loan sales market. Banks that employed the risk management techniques are more inclined to engage in risk taking activities. In fact, banks that manage credit risks lend to more risky loans depicting that complex risk management practices enhanced the bank credit position rather than minimizing the risks. Gatev et al (2006) investigated upon the presence of liquidity risk from both sides of bank balance sheets using some aspects of the Kashyap, Rajan and Stein (2002) model (that liquidity risks originating from the two fundamental businesses of banking promotes a diversification benefit) to analyze the link between deposit taking and commitment lending for large, publicly traded banks using regression analysis. Pooling deposits and commitment lending insure against banking liquidity risks and deposits activities insure against liquidity risk from idle loan activities. Bank stock-return volatility increases with idle loan transactions which is insignificant for banks with huge amount of depository dealings. The deposit-lending risk management becomes more reinforced when there is low level of liquidity and when troubled market participants deposit money in banks. Shao and Yeager (2007) used information of large publicly traded U.S BHCs from 1997 to 2005 using regression models to find the link between credit derivatives and their risk, return and lending issues. Banks buy credit derivatives to hedge against risks, to increase their equity and to compensate for the risky loan losses. However, they sell credit derivatives exposing themselves to risks to gain a premium charge. Moreover, the credit derivatives users enjoyed minimal returns and increase risks which are compensated. Their findings implied that on a general basis, the impact of credit derivatives on risk relies on the risk management strategies. Holod and Kitsul (2008) used panel data of stock returns from 53 U.S BHCs from 1986 to 2007. They found that after 1996, poor capitalized banks engaged in active trading transactions are more exposed to systemic risks compared to well capitalized banks. Banks cannot always have enough capital to cushion the market risks and must sell their illiquid assets or invest in the financial markets to compensate for the lack of capital to adhere to the market-based capital requirements. Capital requirements in Basel II do not help to reduce banking risks totally but contribute towards increasing systematic risks. Topi (2008) used a model of Allen and Gale (2004) where banks offer deposit contracts to ex ante identical, risk averse depositors who face heterogenous liquidity shocks for Bank of Finland which shows that the liquidity can impact on the banks motivations to minimize the default losses. The bank runs encourage the banks to avert the credit losses after the sub-prime mortgage crisis. However, the bank runs without a signal of the credit risks will reduce the banks willingness to curb the incidence of credit losses. The central bank can mitigate the propensity of liquidity stress for solvent banks rather than insolvent banks. In addition, this research provides an area for further research where the policy interventions and financial market innovations can be integrated in the model to identify the impact on banks motivations. Achou and Tenguh (2008) used regression model for Qatar Central Bank by executing a time-series analysis of financial data from 2001-2005 to examine the correlation between profitability and loan losses. They showed that effective credit risk management improves the financial result of the bank with the aim to secure the banking property and to work in the welfare of the market participants. Besides, their study revealed that credit risk management infrastructures are used to minimize the credit losses. Banks with efficient credit risk management system have insignificant loan default ratios, good revenues, minimal non-performing loans and are able to tackle credit losses. Minton et al. (2008) investigated the use of credit derivatives using U.S BHCs (assets overtakes $ 1 billion) and non-missing data on credit derivatives use from 1999 to 2005. Few companies use credit derivatives for dealer activities rather than for hedging against default losses. Credit derivatives use is constrained because the liquidity of credit derivatives market is favorable for investment grade companies since they can use derivatives to insure against the default losses. Therefore, the illiquidity of credit derivatives market affects the non-investment grade companies as they need confidential information for loans where higher cost of hedging will dissuade banks to hedge. Nevertheless, the bank borrowers get loans at a cheap price and banks are more on a competitive stance with the capital markets to provide loan facilities if the credit derivatives can help bank to retain capital. Credit derivatives can only promote the financial health of banks if they generate lesser ban king risks. The sub-prime crisis prior to 2007 has shown that the dealer activities via the credit derivatives contain many risks and in 2008 generated systemic risks. This study provides an avenue to assess the risks posed by credit derivatives when engaging in dealers transactions dealers. Bedendo and Bruno (2009) differentiated between the application of loan sales, securitization and credit derivatives for a sample of US large domestic commercial banks (total assets greater than one billion USD) for June 2002-2008   They found that the most CRT users employ conservative tools and large international banking corporations utilize credit derivatives. They detected that highly capitalized banks with less risky portfolios purchase credit derivative protection to hedge against capital inadequacy.   Moreover, banks with riskier loan portfoli