What Is the Impact of an Illiquid Physical Delivery Market on the Price of a Dual-Settlement Contract?
An illiquid physical delivery market can cause the dual-settlement contract to trade at a premium or discount relative to its fair cash-settled value, particularly near expiration. The difficulty and cost of executing the physical delivery can lead to a divergence.
Traders may price in a premium for the certainty of cash settlement or a discount due to the risk and hassle of taking physical delivery.