Variation in the price of non-agricultural commodities is determined over time by demand-supply dynamics. The last two decades have seen a significant increase in international trade and business volume due to globalization and liberalization sweeping across the world. This increase has led to rapid and unpredictable variations in financial assets prices, interest rates, and exchange rates, and subsequently, to exposing Multi-National Corporations to financial risk. As a result, financial markets have experienced rapid variations in interest and exchange rates and stock market prices, thus exposing the corporate world to a state of growing financial risk. We can hedge the risk of price variations in stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates, market indices, etc.

a) How is Jamaica's economic well-being enhanced through free international trade in goods and services, especially since the COVID-10 pandemic? Discuss two relevant examples specific to Jamaica.

b) Discuss two (2) similarities and two (2) differences between a futures contract and a forward contract. When would the use of one be preferred over the other?

Note: Use real-world Multi-National companies, when providing responses to the above questions