general awareness

 Definitions of Basic Derivatives There are various types of derivatives traded on exchanges across the world. They range from the very simple to the most complex products. The following are the three basic forms of derivatives, which are the building blocks for many complex derivatives instruments (the latter are beyond the scope of this book): · Forwards · Futures · Options Knowledge of these instruments is necessary in order to understand the basics of derivatives. We shall now discuss each of them in detail. Forwards A forward contract or simply aforward is a contract between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a certain future date for a certain price that is pre-decided on the date of the contract. The future date is referred to as expiry date and the pre-decided price is referred to as Forward Price. It may be noted that Forwards are private contracts and their terms are determined by the parties involved. A forward is thus an agreement between two parties in which one pa...

  Derivatives Definition of Derivatives One of the most significant events in the securities markets has been the development and expansion of financial derivatives. The term “derivatives” is used to refer to financial instruments which derive their value from some underlying assets. The underlying assets could be equities (shares), debt (bonds, T-bills, and notes), currencies, and even indices of these various assets, such as the Nifty 50 Index. Derivatives derive their names from their respective underlying asset. Thus if a derivative’s underlying asset is equity, it is called equity derivative and so on. Derivatives can be traded either on a regulated exchange, such as the NSE or off the exchanges, i.e., directly between the different parties, which is called “over-the-counter” (OTC) trading. (In India only exchange traded equity derivatives are permitted under the law.) The basic purpose of derivatives is to transfer the price risk (inherent in fluctuations of the asset prices)...