1. Research
  2. Research
  3. CDS Market Dynamics: Analyzing Trends in Single-name CDS and Index CDS Market Activity

CDS Market Dynamics: Analyzing Trends in Single-name CDS and Index CDS Market Activity

Research
Research November 25, 2024
< 1  min.read

This paper analyzes the credit default swaps (CDS) market from 2019 to the first half of 2024, focusing on trends in single-name CDS and index CDS market activity. Over this period, total CDS market activity reached a high point of $38.7 trillion in 2022, driven primarily by index CDS.

Single-name CDS activity was at its greatest in the first half of 2023, as market participants sought to manage specific credit exposures and protect against anticipated changes in the creditworthiness of individual entities, especially in the banking sector. Although it fell in the first half of 2024, single-name CDS activity remained above 2022 levels, reflecting sustained demand for credit risk protection.

Index CDS trading peaked in 2022 as market participants hedged against broader market instability during a period of heightened uncertainty. As macroeconomic conditions stabilized and central banks moderated their rate hikes, demand for index CDS declined in 2023 and the first half of 2024, but activity remained above 2021 levels.

Click on the attached PDF to read the full report.

Tags:

,

Documents (1) for CDS Market Dynamics: Analyzing Trends in Single-name CDS and Index CDS Market Activity

Latest

SwapsInfo H1 2025 and Q2 2025

Interest rate derivatives (IRD) trading activity increased in the first half of 2025, driven by continued interest rate volatility, evolving central bank policy expectations and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty. Trading in index credit derivatives also rose, as market participants responded to...

ISDA Response to IFSCA Consultation

On August 5, ISDA responded to the International Financial Services Centres Authority’s (IFSCA) consultation on reporting and clearing of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives contracts booked in International Financial Services Centres (IFSC). In the response, ISDA provided the following recommendations: Not mandating...