
included in the fair value of the future and consequently an investor
holding shares and short an expensive future will be left with a profit
after holding costs if he holds the position to expiry.
Conversely, if the future is trading at a discount to fair value (as it
does typically) the arbitrageur can sell the shares which make up the
index and buy the cheap future to lock in the undervaluation.
In practice, this arbitrage is limited by the cost of dealing. Futures
prices have to differ from fair value by a certain amount before
arbitrage is possible.
Asset allocation
Investment opportunities often arise quickly and usually unpredict-
ably. Fund managers ...