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Q8 (IAS/2025) Economy › Economy Current Affairs › Capital market developments Answer Verified

Consider the following statements : I. India accounts for a very large portion of all equity option contracts traded globally thus exhibiting a great boom. II. India's stock market has grown rapidly in the recent past even overtaking Hong Kong's at some point of time. III. There is no regulatory body either to warn the small investors about the risks of options trading or to act on unregistered financial advisors in this regard. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

**Statement I is correct.** India indeed accounts for a very large portion of global equity option contracts traded, representing a significant boom in derivatives trading in the country.

**Statement II is correct.** As of March'25, the equity market capitalization of BSE and NSE witnessed significant growth of ~7% y-o-y.[1] India's stock market has experienced rapid growth in recent years and has at times surpassed Hong Kong's market capitalization, reflecting the robust expansion of Indian equity markets.

**Statement III is incorrect.** India has SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) as the regulatory body that oversees securities markets. This seminar promoted investor awareness and protection. It educated investors about the securities market, fraud prevention and smart investing practices.[2] SEBI regularly warns investors about market risks, including those related to derivatives and options trading, and has the authority to take action against unregistered financial advisors operating in violation of regulations.

Therefore, only statements I and II are correct, making option A the right answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/announcements/bse/30092025/0081c928-0405-4b4a-a4b5-9629a86cca85.pdf
  2. [2] https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/announcements/bse/05092025/3d08fbc0-481b-43a6-b7ec-d3a38710e7df.pdf
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : I. India accounts for a very large portion of all equity option contracts traded globally thus exhibi…
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 0/10
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This question masquerades as a 'Data/Trend' question but is actually solved via 'Static Logic'. While Statements I and II require awareness of financial headlines (India's F&O boom and overtaking Hong Kong), Statement III is a 'Regulatory Vacuum' trap. Recognizing that SEBI exists to regulate advisors allows you to bypass the data heavy-lifting entirely.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
What percentage of global exchange-traded equity option contracts (by annual traded contract volume) is accounted for by India?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > National Stock Exchange > p. 276
Strength: 5/5
“It was set up in 1992 and was India's first fully automated electronic exchange with a nationwide presence. It is also India's first dematerialised (non-paper) stock exchange. NSE is the largest exchange in the country in terms of trading volumes. Headquarters of NSE is located in Mumbai. NSE allows for new listings, IPOs, debt issuances and Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) by overseas companies raising capital in India. NSE provides a trading platform for all types of securities - equity and debt, corporate, government and derivatives. The index of NSE is NIFTY, which is based on the value of the equity shares of 50 well-established/stable companies.”
Why relevant

States NSE is India's largest exchange, offers a trading platform for derivatives (including equity derivatives) and has nationwide electronic volume.

How to extend

A student could combine this with external global exchange volumes (e.g., top exchanges' derivatives volumes) to estimate India's share by comparing NSE derivatives volumes to global totals.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > STOCK EXCHANGE > p. 275
Strength: 4/5
“India now follows T+2 (trading plus two days) settlement cycle. Presently, India's leading stock exchanges are the two:”
Why relevant

Notes that India has leading stock exchanges and specifies settlement cycle (T+2), implying operational maturity and standardized trading infrastructure that supports high contract volumes.

How to extend

Use knowledge that mature, high-liquidity exchanges tend to generate larger option contract volumes; compare India's exchange infrastructure and typical volumes with other mature markets to judge plausibility.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 17: India’s Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade > Can Indian Rupee be Internationalised? > p. 500
Strength: 3/5
“Though the percentage share of India in the global trade is on the lower side, the Indian government has been taking measures in the direction of internationalisation of rupee. Convertibility on capital account is also gradually being relaxed which is required for internationalisation. Moreover, issue of rupee-denominated Masala Bonds overseas by International Finance Corporation (an arm of World Bank) is also a step in that direction. Thus, it is a dream not too far.”
Why relevant

Says India's percentage share in global trade is 'on the lower side', indicating India is a relatively smaller share of some global economic aggregates.

How to extend

A student could use the idea that India often holds a smaller share of global economic activity to hypothesize a modest percentage share of global option contracts unless domestic derivatives activity is disproportionately large.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 12: Transport, Communications and Trade > India's Major Trading Partners 2018 > p. 48
Strength: 2/5
“• Col1: 1; Country: USA; 2018–2019 (April March) in Billions: 52.4; Percentage Share in the India's Total Exports: 15.88 • Col1: 2; Country: United Arab Emirates; 2018–2019 (April March) in Billions: 30.1; Percentage Share in the India's Total Exports: 9.13”
Why relevant

Provides concrete percentages of India's exports to major partners, demonstrating how India’s share metrics are presented and evaluated in international contexts.

How to extend

Apply the practice of expressing national contributions as percentage shares of global or bilateral totals to compute India's share of global option contracts once volumes are obtained externally.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 12: Transport, Communications and Trade > Table 12.7 > p. 47
Strength: 2/5
“India—Commodity Composition of Exports • Commodity Group: I- Primary Products; Percentage Share 2016–17: 15.4 • Commodity Group: (i) Agriculture and allied; Percentage Share 2016–17: 10.2 • Commodity Group: (ii) Ores and minerals; Percentage Share 2016–17: 5.2 • Commodity Group: II- Manufactured Goods; Percentage Share 2016–17: 65.7 • Commodity Group: (iii) Engineering goods; Percentage Share 2016–17: 20.7 • Commodity Group: (iv) Gems and jewellery; Percentage Share 2016–17: 15.1 • Commodity Group: (v) Textile including RMG; Percentage Share 2016–17: 14.5 • Commodity Group: (vi) Chemicals and related products; Percentage Share 2016–17: 11.6 • Commodity Group: (vii) Leather and manufactures; Percentage Share 2016–17: 02.6 • Commodity Group: (viii) Handicrafts including hand-made-carpets; Percentage Share 2016–17: 01.2 • Commodity Group: III- Petroleum, crude and products (including coal); Percentage Share 2016–17: • Commodity Group: ; Percentage Share 2016–17: 11.5 • Commodity Group: IV- Others; Percentage Share 2016–17: 07.4”
Why relevant

Shows breakdowns and percentage shares for commodity groups in exports, exemplifying use of percentage-share tables for national economic aggregates.

How to extend

Students can follow the same method—obtain India's annual traded option contract count (from NSE reports) and divide by total global annual traded contracts to produce the requested percentage.

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