What are derivatives (and why are they called that)? A derivative is a contract that derives its value and risk from a particular security (like a stock or commodity)—hence the name derivative.

Supra-national regulator the European Securities and Market Authority has written to the European Commission to ask for a single Europe-wide definition of a derivative or derivative contract.

A derivative is a financial instrument that gains value from the performance or price of an underlying asset, such as stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, and indices. It is set between two or more ...

Derivatives allow trading of assets without owning them, useful for hedging or speculation. Leverage in derivatives can control large assets with less cash, but increases risk. Derivatives provide ...

Financial derivatives are a form of secondary investment, involving a derivative of an underlying security to provide contracts with specific terms including fixed values or fixed time periods.

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. David Kindness is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and an expert in the fields of ...

European companies have been struggling to implement EMIR, which requires them to report all derivative contracts from February 12, amid widespread confusion and culminating in the European Securities ...

Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their value from one or more underlying financial assets. Learn more about the types of derivatives and the pros and cons of investing. Financial ...