This case is a follow-up to UVA-C-2295. The analysis of the proposed new data center suggested that the project's net present value was negative-not by much, but by enough to be of concern. Scheduled to meet with her boss at 3:00 p.m. to review the results of her analysis, the senior project leader is contemplating what to do next. When she and her boss had discussed the economics of green practices in the context of the bank's next data center, she had been sure she could justify the cost of the investment in green technologies; the cost of power and cooling infrastructure had become the primary cost drivers in a data center, and new technologies were promising substantial reductions in power and cooling costs.
In October 2011, MF Global Holdings LTD, a New York City brokerage company, filed for bankruptcy. Almost a billion dollars was missing from customer accounts that were supposed to be segregated from MF Global's trading accounts. Thousands of U.S. farmers collectively lost millions in their trading accounts at MF Global. This note explains the risks many businesses face including unknowable future material prices, interest rates, and currency exchange rates and how derivative securities are often used to hedge or protect against these risks.