Skip to main content

Sebi expresses concern over high derivatives to cash turnover


The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has expressed concern over high equity derivatives turnover visàvis cash turnover.For every one rupee of cash turnover, Rs 15.6(notional value) of derivatives is traded.

The derivatives to cash turnover in India is the world´s second highest, after South Korea, where it is 24 times.Australia, Japan and Spain have a derivatives to cash ratio of less than five.

The markets regulator has also raised concern overalot of individual investors dealing in the derivatives space without understanding the risks.Sebi on Wednesday
issued a discussion paper on ´Growth and development of the equity derivatives market in India´.

“Orderly growth, development and alignment of both cash and derivatives markets is important,” it has said. “The discussion paper has been prepared to undertake an assessment of the derivatives market in India, to evaluate whether there isaneed to further strengthen the regulatory framework.” Sebi has given market participants till August 10 to respond.

It will collate the feedback and possibly announce steps to develop the derivatives market.Such measures could impact the National Stock Exchange, where a little more than 95 per cent of equity derivative trading in India takes place.

The regulator has, for one, invited public feedback on the high proportion of derivatives trading.It has asked whether there is a “need to align the cash and derivatives market”.

It has asked what measures could be taken to “create balanced participation in equity derivatives”.Given the huge presence of individual investors in the derivatives space, it has said, it wishes to know if there is a need to have a product suitability framework.

This would restrict specified investors from dealing in certain derivatives contracts.Sebi is also mulling if the minimum contract size and open position limits for equity derivatives need to be changed.

And, if there is “any regulatory arbitrage that needs to be addressed”.“A large number of individual investors are active in the derivative segment.

Going by their trading pattern in the cash segment, it is observed that these investors may or may not have adequate financial capability to withstand the risks posed by complex derivative instruments,” Sebi says.

It had recently conductedasurvey which showedathird of investors believe equity markets are less risky than the debt market.And,a large portion of survey respondents said the derivatives markets were safer than debt markets According to Sebi, around 570,000 individual investors currently deal in the derivatives segment and account for nearly 30 per cent of the total turnover here.

However, nearly 15 per cent of the individuals who trade in derivatives have never traded in the cash segment.While Sebi acknowledges the role of “speculators” as
“counter party hedgers”, it says derivatives ideally should be used for hedging purposes.

It says “a soundly based derivatives market requires the presence of both hedgers and speculators”.

Business Standard, New Delhi, 13th July 2017

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Data storage norm splits digital payments industry

Data storage norm splits digital payments industry  India’s nascent digital payment industry could be thrown into disarray due to the demand by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that all user data be stored within the country, fears an industry grouping, which has termed the decision as “heavy-handed”, even as others, including the country’s largest digital payment provider Paytm, have hailed the move.  In a bid to narrow the growing schism, the industry is planning to send a formal representation to the regulator highlighting its concerns, a top official told ET.  “We are trying to build a consensus on the issue," said the person adding that the representation to the central bank will be ready this week.  RBI on April 6, mandated all payment companies—global and local—to set up data storage facilities within India by October. The stringent six-month deadline has attracted the ire of several sections of the industry that fear it will lead to a disruption of wel...

Offer’s for all of you

Great Bumper Dhamaka Offer’s for all of you... It's Time to see your Business Online, WebeCreator Offer Website Designing with domain & Email @ nominal charges. For a year For More information visit us http://goo.gl/KlpppF call on 9890151261/9773197533  drop a mail to sales@webecreator.com

Sebi to finalise options in commodities today

The Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi) will meet on Friday with senior officials of the latter, to give a final shape to the rules on options trading in commodity futures, beside revising the warehousing norms to ensure good delivery on settlement. The decision taken, after discussing with the advisory committee, will be placed before the regulator’s board, to finalise the regulations. According to knowledgeable sources, three commodities in each segment, agricultural and non- agricultural, have been proposed for introducing options. It appears commodities from the soya and guar segments are preferred in the former. From the non- agri segment, it is likely that gold, silver and crude oil will be finalised. All these These have better liquidity and both the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange and the Multi Commodity Exchange, respectively, will be able to introduce the options. In the equity segments, options ar...