Feasibility of Trading International Futures Contracts for Shelled Peanuts

Abstract

A survey of the world-wide peanut industry was conducted to investigate the feasibility of an international shelled peanut futures contract. The study finds that there is a substantial interest and favorable attitudes toward the futures markets and the proposed contract among the respondents. The potential trading volumes, based on the survey responses and international trade statistics, were estimated to fall between 113,745 and 562,645 contracts (20 metric tons per contract). The estimates were considered high enough to indicate a potential for successful introduction of the contract to a futures market.