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08-24-09 Delta One Handbook PDF
08-24-09 Delta One Handbook PDF
Confidential
September 2009
Delta One Handbook
Table of Contents
ETF Overview 1
Leveraged ETFs 4
Futures Overview 6
Additional Information 15
Delta One Handbook
Delta –One
ETFHandbook
Overview
In comparison to mutual funds, ETFs are less expensive, more transparent, and easier to trade. ETFs incur standard stock
commissions and are priced in real-time throughout the trading day. The ETF provider handles all index changes and rebalances,
and each share of the ETF represents the economics of ownership in the underlying index, with no multiplier.
When the client places the 1 million share order the market maker has three options:
1. Buy the ETF shares in the market: depending upon the ETF’s on-exchange liquidity, this could potentially result in a dis-
crepancy between the price of the ETF shares and the underlying index the ETF tracks, therefore, leading to a potential
arbitrage opportunity.
2. Buy futures and facilitate the ETF to the client at the futures equivalent ETF price.
3. Buy the basket of underlying stocks and facilitate the ETF to the client at the basket’s executed NAV equivalent ETF
price.
By choosing Option #2 or #3, the market maker can tap additional sources of liquidity to facilitate the client's order (often without
significantly impacting the ETF price), if insufficient liquidity exists in the secondary market alone.
#
1
1 Source: Credit Suisse Delta One Desk (note this also applies to all charts on this page).
Delta One Handbook – ETF Overview
Assuming the market maker wishes to flatten his book at the end of the day, he will “create” 1 million shares of the ETF by virtue
of being an “authorized participant” by the ETF provider. Through this creation/redemption facility (which is typically in-kind),
the market maker will receive 1 million shares of the ETF at that night’s official NAV in exchange for delivering the underlying
basket of stocks at that night’s official closing prices.
If the market maker hedged the ETF with the stock basket
Underlying Cash Basket during the day, then he is now flat. If he hedged with futures
ETF Market ETF
and created the ETF, he would have to short the basket to the
Maker ETF Shares at NAV
Provider ETF provider in exchange for the ETF shares, thus leaving him
short the stock basket and long the futures.
An exchange-for-physical (EFP) transaction enables the market maker to flatten his cash basket vs. futures position. The EFP
would be quoted in terms of the futures’ fair value to the cash index (please refer to our Futures Overview section for more infor-
mation and relevant calculations). An EFP can also be traded for futures vs. an ETF or vs. the underlying basket of stocks.
In summary, through the use of multiple hedging sources (ETF shares, futures, and stock baskets) used in conjunction with the
creation / redemption process, ETFs are able to remain efficient and generally liquid index tracking products.
Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy: Move Over Single Stocks! ETFs Are the New New Thing. Victor Lin, Ana Avramovic, 29 April 2009
ETF Daily $Value Traded as a % of all US ETF Daily Volume Traded as a % of all US
3 Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy: "Move Over Single Stocks! ETFs Are the New New Thing." Victor Lin, Ana Avramovic, 29 April 2009
3
4. Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy: "Beta Rotation." Victor Lin, 15 July 2009
Delta One Handbook – Leveraged ETFs
Leveraged Leveraged (2-3x) and short ETFs together comprise 15% of the ETF market based on
(2x–3x) number of funds. However, these products punch above their weight. They account for
12% an impressive 35%-40% of ETF trading volume! The leverage and volatility in these ETFs
Short are typically more suited for short-term trading and this is reflected in the lower duration
2%
holding periods and higher trading volumes for these ETFs.
Long
86%
One of the biggest misunderstandings investors have is with the expected leveraged return of these products. These ETFs are
only designed to provide double (or triple) the return of the underlying index on a daily basis. Over the course of just a month, the
performance deviation can be significantly different than the expected 2x or 3x notional, as indicated in the following charts:
5 Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy: "Move Over Single Stocks! ETFs Are the New New Thing." Victor Lin, Ana Avramovic, 29 April 2009
4
6 Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy: "Triple Trouble." Phil Mackintosh, Victor Lin, 23 March 2009
Delta One Handbook – Leveraged ETFs
This means the ETFs need to rebalance each night. Thus, the funds will tend to buy on up days and sell on down days, with
the trade typically larger during volatile sessions.
For example, on a down day, the short ETF makes gains and the long ETF losses – so the short ETF sells in order to add to
exposure while the long ETF sells to reduce exposure.
This re-investment process is similar to the negative gamma experienced by options market makers. As the ETF buys high and
sells low, in a volatile market, this reduces performance. However in a trending market, it compounds gains on gains – exag-
gerating the momentum, and of course the exposure.
The Historic Performance of 2x Long and Short Funds (using real market returns and volatility)
To summarize, long-term holders should note that these funds perform well in momentum, but poorly when
volatility rises or markets turn. Consequently, these products are generally better suited to short-term, active
trading, than to longer-term investing.
5
Delta One Handbook – Futures Overview
Futures are contractual agreements made between two parties through a regulated futures exchange. The parties agree to buy
or sell an asset - livestock, a foreign currency, or some other item - at a certain time in the future at a mutually agreed upon
price. Each futures contract specifies the quantity and quality of the item, expiration month, the time of delivery and virtually all
the details of the transaction except price, which the two parties negotiate based on current market conditions. Some futures
contracts call for the actual, physical delivery of the underlying commodity or financial instrument at contract termination. Others
simply call for a cash settlement at contract termination. Generally, however, market participants do not hold their futures con-
tracts until termination but rather offset futures contracts they have bought ("gone long") by a subsequent sale; or, offset futures
contracts they have sold ("gone short") by a subsequent purchase.
Contract’s Characteristics
The exchange's clearinghouse acts as counterparty on all contracts, sets margin requirements, and crucially also provides a
mechanism for settlement. An Initial margin is the deposit required to maintain either a short or long position in a futures con-
tract. Maintenance margin is the amount of initial margin that must be maintained for that position. A margin call is triggered
when the value of your account drops below the maintenance margin.
Naming Conventions
Summary
Futures are easy to long or short and tend to offer high levels of liquidity and generally low transaction costs, making it especially
well suited for higher frequency trading. The extra leverage futures provide can also be a significant benefit. Roll risk tends to
be an oft-cited concern with futures and the need to monitor margin requirements can be an operational burden and variable
risk to cash flows. However, the main downside is the relatively few benchmarks that futures directly track.
7 Source: Credit Suisse Portfolio Strategy (note that this applies to all charts on this page)
6
Delta One Handbook – Index Swap Overview
What Is a Swap?8
An OTC instrument between two counterparties that provides synthetic equity exposure in exchange for a funding spread.
Scenario #1, a client wants $1 billion long exposure to the SPTR index. The client and swap dealer’s positions are as follows:
In order to hedge the Swap Dealer buys underlying S&P stocks and borrows cash to fund the position. From the Swap Dealer’s
perspective the trade will now be Delta Neutral. From the client’s perspective, no upfront cash is required, but a second interest
leg is paid on the equity notional amount (usually a spread versus Libor).
Positive Index
Credit Performance
Client
Suisse Negative Index
Performance
In order to hedge the Swap Dealer sells underlying S&P stocks and receives interest (less stock borrow fees) on cash raised
via the short sale. From the Swap Dealer’s perspective the trade will now be Delta Neutral. From the client’s perspective, they
will be paid back the interest in the form of the interest leg.
Positive Index
Credit Performance
Client
Suisse Negative Index
Performance
8 Source: Credit Suisse Delta One Desk (note that this applies to all charts on this page)
7
Delta One Handbook – Index Swap Overview
Leverage
ƁƁ Accessibility to leverage as per standard Credit Suisse margin policy.
Market Access
ƁƁ Have the ability to trade specific sectors or regional indices on swap which may not have an appropriate ETF or futures contract.
Anonymity
ƁƁ The owner of swap receives economics of ownership, but Credit Suisse is the beneficial owner of the underlying shares. Therefore, the client
doesn't need to declare ownership to any exchange.
8
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
9
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
10
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
11
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
12
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
13
Delta One Handbook – US ETF Product List
14
Delta One Handbook – Additional Information
Contact Information
New York
15
DISCLAIMER
Please follow the attached hyperlink to an important disclosure: http://www.csfb.com/legal_terms/market_commentary_disclaimer.shtml. Structured securities,
derivatives and options are complex instruments that are not suitable for every investor, may involve a high degree of risk, and may be appropriate investments
only for sophisticated investors who are capable of understanding and assuming the risks involved. Supporting documentation for any claims, comparisons,
recommendations, statistics or other technical data will be supplied upon request. Any trade information is preliminary and not intended as an official transaction
confirmation. Use the following links to read the Options Clearing Corporation's disclosure document: http://www.cboe.com/LearnCenter/pdf/characteristic-
sandrisks.pdf
Because of the importance of tax considerations to many option transactions, the investor considering options should consult with his/her tax advisor as to how
taxes affect the outcome of contemplated options transactions.
This material has been prepared by individual traders or sales personnel of Credit Suisse and its affiliates ('CS') and not by the CS research department. It is
not investment research or a research recommendation, as it does not constitute substantive research or analysis. It is provided for informational purposes, is
intended for your use only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to subscribe for or purchase any of the products or services mentioned. The information
provided is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision. It is intended only to provide observations and views of individual
traders or sales personnel, which may be different from, or inconsistent with, the observations and views of CS research department analysts, other CS traders
or sales personnel, or the proprietary positions of CS. Observations and views expressed herein may be changed by the trader or sales personnel at any time
without notice. Trade report information is preliminary and subject to our formal written confirmation.
CS may, from time to time, participate or invest in transactions with issuers of securities that participate in the markets referred to herein, perform services for
or solicit business from such issuers, and/or have a position or effect transactions in the securities or derivatives thereof. The most recent CS research on any
company mentioned is at http://www.csfb.com/researchandanalytics.
Backtested, hypothetical or simulated performance results have inherent limitations. Simulated results are achieved by the retroactive application of a backtested
model itself designed with the benefit of hindsight. The backtesting of performance differs from the actual account performance because the investment strategy
may be adjusted at any time, for any reason and can continue to be changed until desired or better performance results are achieved. Alternative modeling tech-
niques or assumptions might produce significantly different results and prove to be more appropriate. Past hypothetical backtest results are neither an indicator
nor a guarantee of future returns. Actual results will vary from the analysis.
Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future performance, and no representation or warranty, expressed or implied is made
regarding future performance. The information set forth above has been obtained from or based upon sources believed by the trader or sales personnel to be reli-
able, but each of the trader or sales personnel and CS does not represent or warrant its accuracy or completeness and is not responsible for losses or damages
arising out of errors, omissions or changes in market factors. This material does not purport to contain all of the information that an interested party may desire
and, in fact, provides only a limited view of a particular market.
www.credit-suisse.com