So there is no need to increase leverage of incur any costs at all when entering a derivatives contract.

That merger would combine the longtime Chicago rivals into the largest market for financial derivatives contracts in the world.

Nine big commercial banks now account for 93 percent of all off-balance-sheet derivatives contracts.

That figure, however, represents the paper, or "notional," value of all of the underlying financial products used to create a derivatives contract.

The vast majority of derivatives contracts are used by responsible financial institutions to hedge or offset risks in investment portfolios.

Gibson Greetings will take an additional charge against earnings for losses on its derivatives contracts.

Also, derivatives contracts account for only 3-6% of the median firms' total currency and interest rate exposure.

The arbitrage-free price for a derivatives contract can be complex, and there are many different variables to consider.

Besides the fund's considerable reliance on traditional loans, its use of derivatives contracts had the same practical effect as investing with borrowed money.

Some of those derivatives contracts remain open.