In 2022, 29.32 billion futures contracts were traded worldwide, up from 12.13 billion in 2013. The number of options contracts traded increased from 9.42 to 54.53 billion contracts in the same period. Both contracts are financial derivatives, used to manage financial risk and speculate on future market performance.
What are derivatives?
Derivatives are financial instruments that are based on an underlying asset, such as a stock price, commodity value, or currency. There are multiple categories of derivatives, but this statistic focuses on futures and options. Futures contracts are the commitment to buy or sell the underlying at a future date for a set price. Options contracts are similar, but the holder is not required to execute the contract. Derivatives are often bought and sold on specific exchanges.
What are derivatives used for?
The promise of a futures contract is appealing to investors and firms who want to guarantee their expenses. For example, volatile commodities such as crude oil can rise suddenly, so a futures contract can hedge against a rise that would be damaging to a firm that relies heavily on gasoline, such as a transport company.
Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022
(in billions)
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Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022
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Futures Industry Association. (January 25, 2023). Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/
Futures Industry Association. "Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billions)." Chart. January 25, 2023. Statista. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/
Futures Industry Association. (2023). Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/
Futures Industry Association. "Number of Futures and Options Contracts Traded Worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in Billions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Jan 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/
Futures Industry Association, Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/ (last visited February 19, 2025)
Number of futures and options contracts traded worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billions) [Graph], Futures Industry Association, January 25, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/377025/global-futures-and-options-volume/
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