https://tabbforum.com/opinions/are-crypto-miners-the-modern-hedgers/ Thomas Chippas ErisX - "Miners, similar to traditional hedgers, are foundational elements of a well-functioning capital, commodity and commercial market. The act of mining is performed by high-powered computers that solve mathematical puzzles to produce digital assets such as bitcoin or Ether. Miners are rewarded with the respected coin and are similar to traditional hedgers in that they are looking to offset the market risk of their production related to price volatility and offsetting counterparties. This is a nearly identical use case to a traditional physical commodities producer that uses futures contracts to lock a price at the present for the future sale of the commodity. The producer foregoes the potential upside if the commodity increases in price beyond the settlement price of the futures contract but is also protected on the downside if the price falls."
