Settlement FAQs

what is physical settlement of derivatives

by Luciano Wehner Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Physical settlement of derivatives means that on the day of settlement, if a trader has an open position, then he has to take the delivery of the shares. Right now, it is settled in cash. What this means is that right now, when you have an open position in derivative of a stock, long or short, you settle the MTM in cash.

What is a Physical Settlement/Delivery? This refers to a derivatives contract. In other words, the value of a Derivative Contract is derived from the underlying asset on which the Contract is based.

Full Answer

What is physical settlement in share market?

Physical settlement means actual delivery / purchase of shares by the sellers / buyers of derivative contracts of that company share. Till now, derivative contracts were settled in cash only ( just profits / losses ). From now on, actual delivery will happen.

How will derivative contracts be settled?

Till now, derivative contracts were settled in cash only ( just profits / losses ). From now on, actual delivery will happen. Initially only few stocks have been selected just to implement the physical settlement system in a phased manner. Big companies will be moved into physical settlment at a later date.

What is the concept of physical settlement in equity derivatives?

The concept of physical settlement in equity derivatives was introduced by SEBI in July 2018 and made mandatory from October 2019 expiry onwards all the stocks. F&O physical settlement was introduced because Indian derivatives markets are one of the most speculative markets in the world.

What is physical derivative?

In case of derivative contracts of Futures or Options, on the settlement date, the seller of the contract will either deliver the actual underlying of the asset which is called as Physical Derivative of the underlying asset for which the derivative contract has been undertaken.

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What are physical derivatives?

Understanding Physical Delivery. Derivatives contracts are either cash-settled or physically delivered on the expiry date of the contract. When a contract is cash-settled, the net cash position of the contract on the expiry date is transferred between the buyer and the seller.

What are physically settled futures?

In the case of futures and options, on the settlement date, the contract seller may either opt for delivery of the underlying asset (which is termed as physical settlement) or may simply settle the net position through cash (i.e. cash settlement).

What are the different types of settlement for a derivative contract?

There are three types of settlements available for the commodities futures contract traded on the Multi Commodity Exchange. They are Compulsory, Cash and Both. Under the category Compulsory, all the futures contracts that are kept open till the end of the expiry must be settled physically.

What is a physical settlement?

Physical settlement can be defined as a method or an arrangement in which the actual delivery of an asset is chosen, which is supposed to be delivered on a particular date, and the idea of cash settlement is discouraged. Level of liquidity. Cash settlement offers a higher rate of liquidity in the derivatives market.

What happens in physical settlement of stock derivatives?

Under the physical settlement method, the seller has to deliver the actual underlying asset (stocks) and cannot settle the contract by transferring cash based on the price difference between the contract's strike price and the asset's current market price.

What are the 4 main types of derivatives?

The four major types of derivative contracts are options, forwards, futures and swaps.

What is physically settled FX forward?

FX Forwards are defined in Article 27 of the EU Margin Regulation as “physically settled OTC derivative contracts that solely involve the exchange of two different currencies on a specific future date at a fixed rate agreed on the trade date of the contract covering the exchange.”

What is settlement cycle for derivatives?

A Settlement Cycle refers to a calendar according to which all purchase and sale transactions done on T Day are settled on a T+2 basis. T = Trading Day and +2 means 2 consecutive working days after T (excluding all holidays).

Are all futures physically settled?

Most options and futures contracts are cash-settled. However, an exception is listed equity options contracts, which are often settled by delivery of the actual underlying shares of stock.

Which futures are cash-settled?

The most commonly cash-settled products are equity index and interest rate futures, although precious metals, foreign exchange, and some agricultural products may also be settled in cash.

How long does it take for futures to settle?

The settlement date is the date when a trade is final, and the buyer must make payment to the seller while the seller delivers the assets to the buyer. The settlement date for stocks and bonds is usually two business days after the execution date (T+2).

How futures are settled on expiry?

Futures contracts have expiration dates as opposed to stocks that trade in perpetuity. They are rolled over to a different month to avoid the costs and obligations associated with settlement of the contracts. Futures contracts are most often settled by physical settlement or cash settlement.

What is physical settlement of derivatives?

Physical settlement of derivatives means that on the day of settlement, if a trader has an open position, then he has to take the delivery of the shares. Right now, it is settled in cash.

Why SEBI is introducing physical settlement, when the earlier effort has little response?

As per the notification itself, this move is being introduced to curb volatility and promote borrowing and lending.

Why did Sebi move?

The Sebi move is aimed at curbing excessive speculation, which creates too much volatility in the market. Under physical settlement, traders will have to compulsorily take delivery of shares on the expiry day against their derivative positions.

Is the Indian market speculative?

Indian market is considered one of the most speculative in the world. On a cash mkt turnover to derivative mkt turnover ratio basis, D-St has the highest level. Market regulator Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on Monday issued the much-awaited framework for making physical settlement of stock derivatives mandatory.

Does physical delivery reduce short selling?

Physical delivery could also reduce short selling. Short sellers will now have to first borrow stocks under the SLB (securities lending and borrowing) mechanism, which allows borrowing of securities from institutional investors. But that space still remains shallow in India.

How is physical delivery settlement done?

The physical delivery settlement process is coordinated and settled via a clearing broker or a clearing agent. If the contract holder opts to take a short position, they are responsible for the physical delivery of the commodity. If the holder opts to take a long position, they will be taking, i.e., receiving physical delivery of the commodity.

What is cash settlement?

Cash settlement is the more simple and convenient mode of settlement, as it only involves the upfront net cash amount as the total cost. Settlement transactions do not come with additional costs or fees. Finally, cash settlement is one of the prime reasons for the increased entry of speculators in the derivatives market.

Why is a future contract called a derivative?

It’s also known as a derivative because future contracts derive their value from an underlying asset. Investors may purchase the right to buy or sell the underlying asset at a later date for a predetermined price. can be either of the following two methods: 1. Cash Settlement. The cash settlement method of settling commodities does not involve ...

Why is cash settlement the most popular method of settlement?

Also, cash settlement is the more popular method of settlement because of the liquidity#N#Liquidity In financial markets, liquidity refers to how quickly an investment can be sold without negatively impacting its price. The more liquid an investment is, the more quickly it can be sold (and vice versa), and the easier it is to sell it for fair value. All else being equal, more liquid assets trade at a premium and illiquid assets trade at a discount.#N#it brings to the market.

What is the method of settling commodities?

1. Cash Settlement. The cash settlement method of settling commodities does not involve the physical delivery of the asset (s) under consideration. It instead involves the settlement of net cash on the settlement date. Cash settlement involves the purchaser or the contract holder to pay the net cash amount on the settlement date and execute ...

What is physical delivery?

Physical delivery involves a number of additional costs, including delivery costs, transportation costs, brokerage fees, and so on.

Which method of settlement offers greater liquidity in the derivatives market?

The cash settlement method offers greater liquidity in the derivatives market, whereas the physical settlement method offers an almost negligible amount of liquidity in the derivatives market.

Why is cash settlement used in derivatives?

In derivatives, cash settlement is used in the case of a Futures contract since it is monitored by an exchange, ensuring smooth execution of the contract.

What is a Physical Settlement/Delivery?

This refers to a derivatives contract A Derivatives Contract Derivative Contracts are formal contracts entered into between two parties, one Buyer and the other Seller, who act as Counterparties for each other, and involve either a physical transaction of an underlying asset in the future or a financial payment by one party to the other based on specific future events of the underlying asset. In other words, the value of a Derivative Contract is derived from the underlying asset on which the Contract is based. read more requiring the actual underlying asset to be delivered on the specified delivery date, rather than being traded out net cash position or offsetting of contracts. The majority of the derivative transactions are not necessarily exercised but are traded prior to the delivery dates. However, physical delivery of the underlying asset does occur with some trades (largely with commodities) but can occur with other financial instruments Financial Instruments Financial instruments are certain contracts or documents that act as financial assets such as debentures and bonds, receivables, cash deposits, bank balances, swaps, cap, futures, shares, bills of exchange, forwards, FRA or forward rate agreement, etc. to one organization and as a liability to another organization and are solely taken into use for trading purposes. read more.

What is the difference between cash settlement and physical settlement?

Cash settlement is an arrangement under which the seller in a contract chooses to transfer the net cash position instead of delivering the underlying assets whereas physical settlement can be defined as a method, under which the seller opts to go for the actual delivery of an underlying asset and that too on a pre-determined date and at the same time rejects the idea of cash settlement for the transaction.

What is the advantage of cash settlement?

The single largest advantage of cash settlement is that it represents a way of trading Futures & Options based on assets and securities, which would practically very difficult with the physical settlement.

How does the derivatives market evolve?

With the overall derivatives market becoming more institutionalized through electronic trading, the contracts themselves evolve, creating more efficiency of funds and for the traders. For the traders, it is not the method of settlement that matters, but the liquidity and transportation costs associated since the broker will also have an extended liability towards the same.

What is the benefit of physical settlement?

The primary benefit of Physical settlement is that it is not subject to manipulation by either of the parties since the entire activity is being monitored by the broker and the clearing exchange. The possibility of the counterparty risk will be monitored, and consequences are known for the same.

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Computation of Settlement Obligation

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The obligation is computed after the close of trading on the expiry day on below positions: 1. All open futures position. 2. All the in-the-money (ITM) contracts which are exercised and assigned. The obligation arising from the above scenarios will either end up in receiving the security or delivering the security as per below: As t…
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timelines For Physical Settlement

  • Physical settlement takes place on Expiry + 2 days. In case your securities obligation is at the receiving end, that means you would receive stock for which you would need to arrange for funds to pay to the exchange. In case your securities obligation stands at the delivery position, you would need to arrange for stock in your demat account for pay-in, for which you would receive fu…
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Failure to Meet The Obligation of Physical Settlement

  • In case the clearing member fails to meet either the fund/securities obligation, the exchange penalizes the clearing member as per the below which may be further passed on to the client. Hence one must understand the physical settlement process well.
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Physical Settlement Example

  • Let's say a trader has the following open positions in April 2020 expiry contracts as on End of Day of April Expiry Day. Basis the above open positions, below is the obligation calculation for securities and fund for each stock with comments.
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Physical Settlement Zerodha

  • Zerodha policyfor physical settlement follows stock exchange rules. As per Zerodha 'If you hold a position in any Stock F&O contract, at expiry, you will be required to give/take delivery of stocks.' They advise their customers to close the open F&O positions before expiry to avoid physical settlement.
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Physical Settlement Upstox

  • As per the Upstox policyfor physical settlement, users don't have the option to opt for a physical settlement. On expiry day, Upstox squares off all open positions at 2.30 pm, hence it doesn't qualify for a physical settlement. More resources: 1. Physical Settlement NSE FAQ documents - 1 & 2.
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