What Are Equity Derivatives? A Simple Guide for Beginners

Have you ever wondered how others make money in the stock market without buying shares? It seems smart, but the answer is simple: they use equity derivatives. The stock market is originally confusing, so learn all the tricks and tools. But once you know the basics, everything falls into place.
Equity derivatives can be a very big word, but they are not complicated. They let traders make money on ups and downs in the stock price or protect their money from damage.
In this blog, we will discuss equity derivatives, how they work, and why people use them.
What is Equity Derivatives?
So, let’s start by what is equity derivatives? They are contracts that get their value from shares or stock market indexes. Instead of buying or selling the actual shares, people use these contracts to benefit from changes in stock prices without owning the shares.
These contracts help people protect their money, try to earn profits, or make their investments stronger. The most common types are options and futures. Their value moves up or down with the stock price. People use them to make money if the price goes in the direction of their favour or to avoid big losses if it doesn’t.
How Do Equity Derivatives Work?
To understand how equity derivatives function, consider an option contract. The contract gives one the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an equity at a predetermined price by a specific date. The value of the contract changes with the stock price, remaining time, and market condition.
LTP in the option chain is one of the most essential terms for options trading. LTP is nothing but the Last Traded Price. It shows the last price at which the specific option was bought or sold. Investors and traders closely observe LTP to understand market trends and make smarter trading decisions.
Types of Equity Derivatives
There are mainly two popular types of equity derivatives:
- Equity Options: When dealing with Equity options, the buyer has the option to to buy (call option) or sell (put option) the underlying stock at a price decided beforehand. Options are flexible tools for hedging or speculating on stock price changes.
- Equity Futures: These contracts help the buyer to purchase, and the seller to sell, a stock in the future for a price agreed upon today. Futures are often used by investors to lock in prices or as a precaution against market risks.
Benefits of Equity Derivatives
Equity derivatives offer a lot of benefits to people who invest or trade in the stock market. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Protecting Money: They help reduce losses by letting people balance or hedge their stock investments.
- More Power with Less Money: People can trade bigger amounts using less money, which means they can earn more if things go well.
- Many Uses: These contracts can be used in different ways, like earning extra money or guessing future price moves.
- Understanding the Market: They give clues about what others think will happen to stock prices in the future.
Conclusion
Equity derivatives are big words, but they are easy to understand. They enable individuals to benefit from ups and downs in the stock price or secure the funds when prices fall. Everyone, businessman, investor and company, uses them.
If you are new to the stock market, understanding of equity derivatives will take you a long way. When you become aware of the concepts, everything will go well. This is a wise approach to risk management and sensible financial decisions.