Estimating the Optimal Hedge Ratio and the Hedge Effectiveness of LNG Contracts in Asia

Abstract

Purpose This study examines the effectiveness of hedging Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) markets by estimating the optimal minimum variance hedge ratio with various models. Design/Methodology/Approach In this study, the LNG Japan/Korea Marker (JKM), which is published by Platts, was used over the period of January 02, 2014 to July 12, 2019. Both constant and dynamic hedge ratios were found using various methods including OLS, VECM, BEKK-GARCH, and the MRS model. Estimated hedge ratios through an out-of-sample analysis were evaluated through hedge effectiveness (HE). Findings Basically, the empirical results indicate that hedging effectiveness seems low in both the in-sample and out-of-sample periods. The OLS model slightly outperforms time-variant models, but generally there is no significant gap between models. It is worth noting that although OLS, VECM and BEKK-GARCH models hold relatively stable outcomes in both horizons, the MRS model experiences a large gap between 14.85% and 5.90%. Research Implications The results do not show a high hedging effectiveness for several reasons. However, considering most of studies on this issue focus on popular gas indices such as NBP, TTF and HH, this study makes a valuable contribution to the research of Asian LNG markets by comparing various hedging models for the first time.