Single stock options and futures

In this article, we analyse the trends in single stock options and futures contracts traded observed over the past year. The data is available on the WFE Statistics Portal, while the indicators are defined in our Definitions Manual. For questions or feedback about this article, please contact the WFE Statistics Team at [email protected].

The number of single stock options and futures contracts traded of in H1 2023 amounted to 6.83 billion, which represented a 3.5% drop from H2 2022. This is due to single stock futures volumes falling 15.7%, while single stock options increased 4.3%. Regionally, EMEA volumes fell 35.9%, while the Americas region went up 7.6%, and APAC registered a 0.8% uptick.

A similar decline in single stock options and futures (-3.8%) was observed when compared to H1 2022, due to futures volumes dropping 11.6%, with options recording a 0.8% uptick.

As Figure 1 shows, most of the trades take place on markets in the Americas region (67%), while APAC accounts for 18% and the EMEA region for 15%.

Single stock options account for 66% of the single stock derivatives contracts traded, with single stock futures accounting for the rest of 34%.

Among all derivatives, single stock options are the second most traded contracts (with 8.3% share), after stock index options (55.3% share), while single stock futures account for only 4.1% share of all derivatives.

Within equity derivatives, 11.2% are single stock options, 5.6% single stock futures, 74.7% are stock index options and 8.4% are stock index futures contracts traded.

Figure 1: Number of contracts traded of single stock options and futures between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Figure 2: Number of contracts traded of single stock options between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Figure 3: Number of contracts traded of single stock futures between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Quarter-on-quarter, in Q2 2023 volumes fell 6.5%, due to both options and futures declining 4.3% and 10.8%, respectively.

All regions declined in Q2 2023 when compared with Q1 2023: the Americas 4.9%, APAC 0.4% and EMEA region 19.8%.

When compared with Q2 2022, the volumes in the EMEA region fell significantly (-35.4%), while the Americas and APAC rose 5.8% and 1.7%, respectively.

Regional volumes are illustrated in Figures 4-6.

Figure 4: Single stock derivatives contracts traded in the Americas region between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Figure 5: Single stock derivatives contracts traded in APAC region between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Figure 6: Single stock derivatives contracts traded in EMEA region between Jan 2021 - Jun 2023