medium · Market Microstructure market-impact

A risk manager needs to hedge a 100,000-share equity position using E-mini S&P 500 futures (each contract = 50 index points x multiplier, current index at 5,000, multiplier 50 USD per point, contract notional = 250,000 USD). The portfolio beta is 1.2.

How many E-mini contracts are needed to beta-adjust the hedge, and which microstructure factor makes the realized hedge cost higher than implied by the number of contracts alone?

  1. 240 contracts; realized cost is higher because futures tick size is 0.25 index points, creating a wider minimum quoted spread relative to notional value than equities carry.
  2. 200 contracts; realized cost is higher because futures markets are generally more liquid than equities, leading to tighter quoted spreads but larger price impact per contract traded on entry.
  3. 240 contracts; realized cost is higher because trading 240 futures contracts simultaneously moves the futures price, creating market impact on top of the bid-ask crossing cost.
  4. 200 contracts; realized cost is higher because beta estimation error introduces a residual basis risk that must be actively re-hedged dynamically over the life of the position.

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