Financial Derivatives

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defi nes a derivative in the fi eld of chemistry as " a substance that can be made from another substance. " Derivatives in fi nance work on the same principle. These fi nancial instruments promise payoffs that are derived from the value of something else, which is called the " underlying. " The underlying is often a fi nancial asset or rate, but it does not have to be. For example, derivatives exist with payments linked to the S&P 500 stock index, the temperature at Kennedy Airport, and the number of bankruptcies among a group of selected companies. Some estimates of the size of the market for derivatives are in excess of $270 trillion – more than 100 times larger than 30 years ago. When derivative contracts lead to large fi nancial losses, they can make headlines. In recent years, derivatives have been associated with a few truly notable events, including the collapses of Barings