Derivative Trades Jump 27% to Record $681 Trillion

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is reporting Derivatives traded on exchanges surged 27 percent to a record $681 trillion in the third quarter. The amounts are based on the notional amount underlying the contracts.

* Interest-rate futures, contracts designed to speculate on or hedge against moves in borrowing rates, led the increase with a 31 percent increase to $594 trillion.
* Trading in stock index futures and options rose 19 percent to a record $81 trillion in the third quarter, as investors speculated on whether the credit-market losses would spread to the equity markets.
* Trading in currency futures and options increased 18 percent to $6.4 trillion, the BIS said.

A derivative is a financial obligation whose value is derived from interest rates, the outcome of specific events or the price of underlying assets such as debt, equities and commodities. Companies and investors use them to hedge against, or speculate on, price changes.

Derivatives include futures, which are agreements to buy or sell assets at a set date and price, and options, which are the right but not the obligation to do so.

Investors may have shifted some trading to exchanges from the over-the-counter market to reduce the risk of counterparties defaulting on deals, the BIS said.