Development of Financial Derivatives Market-In Indian Context

Abstract

Risk is a characteristic feature of most commodity and capital markets. Variations in the prices of agricultural and non-agricultural commodities are induced, over time, by demand-supply dynamics. The last two decades have witnessed many-fold increase in the volume of international trade and business due to the wave of globalization and liberalization sweeping across the world. This has led to rapid and unpredictable variations in financial assets prices, interest rates and exchange rates, and subsequently, to exposing the corporate world to an unwieldy financial risk. In the present highly uncertain business scenario, the importance of risk management is much greater than ever before. The emergence of derivatives market is an ingenious feat of financial engineering that provides an effective and less costly solution to the problem of risk that is embedded in the price unpredictability of the underlying asset. In India, the emergence and growth of derivatives market is relatively a recent phenomenon. Since its inception in June 2000, derivatives market has exhibited exponential growth both in terms of volume and number of traded contracts. The market turn-over has grown from Rs.2365 crore in 2000-2001 to Rs.11010482.20 crore in 2008-2009. Within a short span of eight years, derivatives trading in India has surpassed cash segment in terms of turnover and number of traded contracts. The present study encompasses in its scope an analysis of historical roots of derivative trading, types of derivative products, regulation and policy developments, trend and growth, future prospects and challenges of derivative market in India. Some space is devoted also to a brief discussion of the status of global derivatives markets in Indain context Indian derivatives.