Modeling the volatility of futures return in rubber and oil—A Copula-based GARCH model approach

Abstract

This paper attempts to make use of a Copula-based GARCH (Generalized AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity) Model to find out the relationships between the volatility of rubber futures returns in the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) and other four main markets, namely, the volatility of rubber futures returns in the Singapore Commodity Exchange (SICOM), the volatility of rubber futures returns, crude oil returns, and gas oil returns in the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM). The results illustrate that the Student-t dependence only shows better explanatory power than the Gaussian dependence structure and the persistence pertaining to the dependence structure between rubber futures returns in AFET and oil futures returns, namely, crude oil futures returns and gas oil futures returns in TOCOM. Whereas, the Gaussian dependence shows better explanatory ability between rubber futures returns in AFET and other rubber futures returns, namely, the volatility of rubber futures in SICOM and TOCOM. For the multivariate Copula model, all the parameters between AFET and other variables are significant. Based on these results, with the liberalization of agricultural trade and the withdrawal of government support to agricultural producers, there is in many countries a new need for price discovery and even physical trading mechanisms, a need that can often be met by commodity futures exchanges. Hence, this paper recommends that the government supports the hedge mutual funds that can be invested in every commodities futures exchange in the world. It can also put the funds together that will contribute farmers to invest in each commodities futures market.