1 Glossary of Financial Derivatives* Paul D. Koch
[email protected] University of Kansas 785-864-7503 Lawrence, KS 66045 *This document draws heavily from several sources: (a) Website of Don Chance, www.fbox.vt.edu/filebox/business/finance/dmc/DRU; (b) Hull, J.C., Fundamentals of Futures & Options Markets, 8th Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc.: New York, NY, 2014; I. Background. Yield Curve – relation among interest rates paid on securities alike in every respect except maturity. (How interest rates change from short term to long term securities.) Eurodollar - dollar-denominated deposits outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. regulatory authorities. Financial Derivative - financial claim whose value is contingent upon movements in some underlying variable such as a stock or stock index, interest rates, exchange rates, or commodity prices; includes forwards, futures, options, SWAPs, asset-backed securities, structured notes (hybrid debt), & other combinations of these instruments. LIBOR - London Interbank Offer Rate; rate charged on short term Eurodollar deposits; benchmark floating rate for international borrowing/lending in $. Margin - good faith 'collateral' deposit, specified as a percentage of the value of the financial instrument in question; ensures integrity of market. Organized Exchange - centralized location where organized trading is conducted in certain financial instruments under a specific set of rules. The exchange clearinghouse is the counter-party to every transaction; members of the exchange share the responsibility of fulfilling commitments. The exchange: (i) sets standardized terms for all contracts traded, and (ii) often places restrictions on trading (e.g. margin requirements, limits on daily price changes, limits on size of individual positions, ...). Standardization of contracts and other rules make clearing easier, reduce uncertainty about counterparty default risk, and help ensure an orderly market.