Financial Derivatives Classification of Derivatives
FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES A derivative is a financial instrument or contract that derives its value from an underlying asset. The buyer agrees to purchase the asset on a specific date at a specific price. Derivatives are often used for commodities, such as oil, gasoline, or gold. Another asset class is currencies, often the U.S. dollar. There are derivatives based on stocks or bonds. The most common underlying assets include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates and market indexes. The contract's seller doesn't have to own the underlying asset. He can fulfill the contract by giving the buyer enough money to buy the asset at the prevailing price. He can also give the buyer another derivative contract that offsets the value of the first. This makes derivatives much easier to trade than the asset itself. According to the Securities Contract Regulation Act, 1956 the term ‘Derivative’ includes: i. a security derived from a debt instrument, share, loan, whether secured or unsecured, risk instrument or contract for differences or any other form of security. ii. a contract which derives its value from the prices or index of prices, of underlying securities. CLASSIFICATION OF DERIVATIVES Derivatives can be classified into broad categories depending upon the type of underlying asset, the nature of derivative contract or the trading of derivative contract. 1. Commodity derivative and Financial derivative In commodity derivatives, the underlying asset is a commodity, such as cotton, gold, copper, wheat, or spices. Commodity derivatives were originally designed to protect farmers from the risk of under- or overproduction of crops. Commodity derivatives are investment tools that allow investors to profit from certain commodities without possessing them.
[Show full text]