Derivatives Volumes Plunge in First Half of 2014

For the worldwide derivatives industry, the first six months of 2014 was like eating a stale, soggy potato chip: disappointing and boring. With market volatility in check most of the year, Global futures and options volume sank by 14 percent, according to a report by Futures and Options World. During the first half of 2014 only 9.7 billion contracts were traded compared to 11.2 billion during the previous year over year period. The drop marks the lowest volume since 8.2 billion contracts were traded globally in 2009, a period before the Chinese futures market provided a major contribution to volumes….