(Reuters) – Cboe Global Markets reported higher-than-expected second-quarter profit on Friday, helped by strong growth in futures and options trading as geopolitical tensions and elevated interest rates prompted investors to actively hedge their exposure.
Cboe Global Markets earned higher-than-expected profit in the second quarter, helped by strong growth in futures and options trading as geopolitical tensions and elevated interest rates prompted investors to actively hedge their exposure.
Fears of potential economic shocks from the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict have kept investors on edge even as markets rallied strongly this year, boosting the appetite for hedging.
Some are also questioning the sustainability of the rally due to tight monetary policy and the excessive focus on artificial intelligence-linked stocks.
Those worried about an eventual correction are taking advantage of the cheaply priced S&P 500 put options to hedge their portfolios. Put options are bearish bets that let traders sell an asset at a set price in the future.
Excluding one-time costs, the derivatives exchange giant earned $2.15 per share for the three months ended June 30. Analysts had expected a figure of $2.10 per share, according to LSEG.
Revenue jumped 10% from last year, to $513.8 million.
The earnings round out a strong quarter for exchanges, which have seen robust growth in their core business of trading as investors return to the markets, encouraged by hopes of a soft landing for the economy.
(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
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