VOLATILITY SPILLOVER EFFECTS AND CROSS HEDGING IN CORN AND CRUDE OIL FUTURES

Using a volatility spillover model, we find evidence of significant spillovers from crude oil prices to corn cash and futures prices, and that these spillover effects are time-varying. Results reveal that corn markets have become much more connected to crude oil markets after the introduction of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Furthermore, when the ethanol-gasoline consumption ratio exceeds a critical level, crude oil prices transmit positive volatility spillovers into corn prices and movements in corn prices are more energy-driven. Based on this strong volatility link between crude oil and corn prices, a new cross-hedging strategy for managing corn price risk using oil futures is examined and its performance is studied. Results show that this cross-hedging strategy provides only slightly better hedging performance compared with traditional hedging in corn futures markets alone. The implication is that hedging corn price risk in corn futures markets alone can still provide relatively satisfactory performance in the biofuel era. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 31:1052-1075, 2011