Cash settlement is a process used in financial markets to settle a transaction without the physical delivery of an underlying asset. The payment is instead made in cash. Cash settlement is commonly used in derivative trading, such as futures, options, and swaps, where the buyer and seller settle the difference of the contract price and the spot price in cash at the time of settlement.
Traders of derivatives opt for cash settlement because it simplifies the process of closing out contracts. Instead of exchanging the underlying asset, the buyer and seller can simply exchange the cash value of the asset at the time of settlement. This is particularly useful when trading commodity derivatives such as crude oil, wheat, natural gas, and more, as it can greatly reduce the cost and complexity of physical delivery. This allows investors to participate in markets more easily and reduces the counterparty risk involved in trading.
An investor purchases a futures contract to buy 100 barrels of Brent Crude for $50 per barrel. At the contract’s expiry date, the market price is $58 per barrel. Instead of exchanging the 100 barrels of oil physically, the investor would receive a cash payment of $800 based on the price difference for each barrel of oil. Conversely, if the price of oil falls to $45 per barrel at the contract’s expiry date, the investor would have to pay $500 in cash.
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