INTRODUCTION
For many, derivatives are often associated with infamous financial events and scandals
resulting from highly leveraged and speculative use of derivative financial instruments.
The most common use of these instruments is, however, in the often quiet area of risk
management rather than the charged atmosphere of high stakes betting. At the most
basic level, a derivative is simply a financial instrument that allows two parties to enter
into a relationship where one party gains more exposure to the performance of a specific
asset while the other party reduces their exposure to the same asset. These agreements
have been in use for centuries in agriculture and commodity trading and, in modern
times, have evolved in complexity along with the global financial system to cover virtually
all aspects of the capital market. Until recently, the one glaring exception to this has
been the largely private investment market of residential and commercial property, particularly
in the United States. Today, there is an emerging market of derivative instruments
for property investment. While still embryonic, this market holds the promise of
potentially significant benefits for real estate investment practices and markets.
Specifically, a fully formed and functioning derivatives market for commercial property
lifts the opaque veil of the private market that has retarded information efficiency and
hampered price discovery in this multi-trillion dollar investment market. All real estate
investors, regardless of their specific interest in using these instruments, should support
the development of this market and the numerous benefits that they will ultimately bring
to the asset class.