Derivatives

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Introduction to Derivatives
At this point of the course, we have all been introduced to the basic investment instruments such as bonds and stocks. Now it’s time for us to make things a little bit more interesting. You may or may not have heard the term derivative, however it’s the most important term in the investment world today. Derivatives are a financial contract between two parties whose value is derived from an underlying asset. The underlying asset can be a financial instrument such as a stock or a bond, or it can be a commodity such as gold, silver, wheat and crude oil etc. There are two types of derivatives options and futures (sometimes also called forwards).
Over the counter markets (OTC)
Over the counter markets are also known as off-exchange. Trading takes place between two parties directly without involving an exchange market. The major difference in these two types of transactions is that when a transaction is facilitated by an exchange the liquidity of the asset is much higher than it is if it takes place on OTC markets. The exchanges also mitigate the default risk from both parties and also provides transparency regarding the price of the asset traded, however in OTC markets the price is usually not disclosed to public.
Common Features
All derivatives have some common features in all of them. Derivatives is a contractual agreement between two parties known as counterparties. The agreement consists of the rights that each party acquires upon signing the contract. The buying and selling procedure is the same as in any other buying or selling decision. Sellers try to sell for the highest possible price and buyers try buying for the lowest possible price.
All derivatives have an expiration date, both parties must fu...

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...r a lower and selling it in another market for a higher price. By doing this an investor locks a certain amount of profit with having minimal or no risk.
Call Option Put Option
Buyer (Long Position) Pays premium to the writer and acquires the right to buy the underlying asset a predetermined price.
Expects the price of the asset to rise. Pays premium to the write and acquires the right to sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price.
Expects the price of the asset to fall.
Writer (Short Position) Receives premium from the buyer and has the obligation to sell the underlying asset at the predetermined price.
Expects the price of the underlying asset to remain the same or fall. Receives premium from the buyer and has the obligation to buy the underlying asset at the predetermined price.
Expects the price of the underlying asset to rise or remain the same.

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