In finance, a security whose price is dependent upon or derived from one or more underlying assets. The derivative itself is merely a contract between two or more parties. Its value is determined by fluctuations in the underlying asset. The most common underlying assets include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates and market indexes. Most derivatives are characterized by high leverage.
Futures contracts, forward contracts, options and swaps are the most common types of derivatives. Because derivatives are just contracts, just about anything can be used as an underlying asset. There are even derivatives based on weather data, such as the amount of rain or the number of sunny days in a particular region.
Derivatives are generally used to hedge risk, but can also be used for speculative purposes.
City Bank Treasury team has a variety of derivatives products for its corporate customers:
01. Foreign Exchange
- Options
- SWAPS
- Forwards
02. Interest Rate Swap
03. Commodity Derivatives
- Commodity Options
- Commodity Forwards
- Commodity Futures
- Commodity SWAP.