An insider’s guide to cash and carry arbitrage

Cash and carry arbitrage is a smart trading technique that utilizes the difference in prices between the spot and future markets. 

In basic terms, it is the purchase of an asset at a low cost in the spot market and selling it at a higher price on the futures market, thus making a profit. This strategy depends on the “buy low, sell high” concept and carrying cost principle.

Let us look further into this fascinating financial strategy.

What is cash and carry arbitrage?

Cash and carry arbitrage is a financial strategy where investors make profits using the difference between the spot (current) market and futures market prices. This means that an asset is bought in the spot market simultaneously with selling it in the futures markets by investors. The essence of this concept is to exploit any pricing inefficiencies across these two types of markets.

“Cash and Carry” refers to buying an item in cash or its equivalent on the spot market and also carrying or shorting a position on it in the future. By doing this, investors can easily benefit from price disparities between spot prices as well as future ones, thus locking in their profits.

This principle is based on the understanding that there are opportunities to make a risk-free profit by taking advantage of price differences that exist among different markets.

Cash and carry arbitrage calculation

The calculation for cash and carry arbitrage involves comparing the cost of buying an asset in the spot market and simultaneously selling it in the futures market. Here’s a simplified formula:

Profit = (Futures Price – Spot Price) – Cost of Carry

Where:

• Futures price: The price at which the asset can be sold in the futures market.
• Spot price: The price at which the asset can be bought or sold immediately in the spot market.
• Cost of carry: The cost associated with holding the asset from the spot market purchase until the futures contract expires. This includes costs such as storage, insurance, financing, and dividends or interest.

If the calculated profit is positive, there’s an opportunity for cash and carry arbitrage, indicating that the futures price is higher than the spot price plus the cost of carry. In this scenario, a trader can buy the asset in the spot market, sell it in the futures market, and earn a risk-free profit.

Conversely, if the profit calculation is negative or negligible, it suggests that no arbitrage opportunity exists and the market is efficiently priced.

Example of cash-and-carry arbitrage

Imagine you spot an opportunity for cash and carry arbitrage while browsing the commodity markets. Let’s say gold is currently trading at ₹50,000 per ounce in the spot market, while the futures contract for delivery in three months is priced at ₹51,000 per ounce. This scenario presents a classic cash and carry arbitrage example.

Here’s how it works: You purchase one ounce of gold in the spot market for ₹50,000 and simultaneously sell a futures contract for the same amount of gold at ₹51,000. Since you’ve locked in a higher price in the futures market, you’re set to make a profit of ₹1,000 per ounce when the futures contract expires.

By exploiting this price differential through cash and carry arbitrage, you not only stand to gain a profit but also contribute to market efficiency by aligning prices across different market segments. This example illustrates the potential benefits of identifying and capitalizing on cash and carry arbitrage opportunities in financial markets.

Now, let’s understand what is reverse cash and carry arbitrage. It is the opposite of the traditional straight cash and carry arbitrage.

What is reverse cash and carry arbitrage?

Reverse cash and carry arbitrage is the opposite of traditional cash and carry arbitrage. 

In this strategy, an investor sells an asset in the spot market while simultaneously buying a futures contract for the same asset. This is done when the futures price is lower than the spot price, allowing the investor to profit from the price difference. 

Reverse cash and carry arbitrage seeks to exploit temporary market inefficiencies by betting on the convergence of spot and futures prices, typically in situations where the futures market is undervalued relative to the spot market.

Benefits of cash and carry arbitrage

Cash and carry arbitrage offers several benefits to investors:

1. Profit opportunities

By exploiting price differences between the spot and futures markets, investors can earn profits with minimal risk. 

This strategy allows investors to lock in gains by buying low in the spot market and selling high in the futures market.

2. Market efficiency

Cash and carry arbitrage helps to enhance market efficiency by narrowing price disparities between the spot and futures markets. 

As arbitrageurs capitalize on mispricings, it leads to more accurate pricing of assets over time.

3. Risk mitigation

While no investment strategy is entirely risk-free, cash and carry arbitrage typically involves low levels of risk. 

Since this strategy involves offsetting positions in both the spot and futures markets, it can help hedge against adverse price movements.

4. Liquidity provision

Arbitrage activities often contribute to market liquidity by increasing trading volumes in both the spot and futures markets. 

This liquidity benefits all market participants by facilitating smoother transactions and reducing transaction costs.

5. Diversification

Cash and carry arbitrage can serve as a complementary strategy within a diversified investment portfolio. 

By adding arbitrage opportunities to a portfolio, investors may reduce overall portfolio risk while potentially enhancing returns.

Conclusion

Cash and carry arbitrage is a smart method for investors to make money from price gaps between markets. Using this strategy, they can earn profits while helping markets work more efficiently. To learn more about such financial concepts, check out StockGro.

FAQs