Do derivatives benefit shareholders? Evidence from India

Abstract

We show that for a sample of 1,882 publicly listed Indian firms and sample period from 2016 to 2021, derivative-usage significantly reduces the idiosyncratic stock return volatility. The negative effect of derivative-usage on idiosyncratic volatility is more pronounced for firms with poor information environment, and financially-constrained and distressed firms. The quality of corporate governance does not influence the relationship between derivative-usage and firm risk. The valuation of derivative-user firms is significantly higher than that of non-derivative-user firms. Overall, using derivatives benefits the firms using them, both in terms of reducing risk and creating value for the shareholders.