Weather risk hedging in the European markets and international investment diversification

Abstract

This article analyses weather risk hedging efficiency in three European countries using weather derivatives traded at Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and explores the potential of weather derivatives as a new investment asset to further diversify investors portfolios. The results document that the CME European weather contracts are generally effective in hedging the temperature risk in the three European countries. However, for a specific country, weather risk hedging using other countries weather indexes is generally not effective. Zero or little correlation among international weather indexes and stock market indexes indicates that weather derivatives should be an efficient investment diversifier. This research provides important insights to both weather risk hedgers and investors. © 2011 The International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics.