708 TRILLION

OTC derivatives market activity in the first half of 2011

16 November 2011

Key developments in the first half of 2011:

• After an increase of only 3% in the second half of 2010, total notional amounts outstanding of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives rose by 18% in the first half of 2011, reaching $708 trillion by the end of June 2011. Notional amounts outstanding of credit default swaps (CDS) grew by 8%, while outstanding equity-linked contracts went up by 21%.
• Gross market value of all OTC contracts declined by 8%, driven mainly by the 10% reduction in the market value of interest rate contracts. CDS market values were almost unchanged. 
• Overall gross credit exposure dropped by a further 15% to $3.0 trillion, compared with a 3% decrease in the second half of 2010.

Comprehensive explanatory notes in the release define the coverage of the statistics and the terms used in presenting them.

Full text of "OTC derivatives market activity in the first half of 2011" (PDF, 32 pages, 167 kb)