F&O stock list balloons as market rallies

Number of stocks for derivatives rises 50% in three years

The list of stocks available for trading in futures and options (F&O) on National Stock Exchange (NSE) has swelled by 50 per cent in three years. 

With the addition of 15 securities from April series and 16 from May series, investors and traders can take derivatives positions in 205 stocks. By comparison, only 136 stocks were part of F&O segment in 2014. 

Market players say a rally after December demonetisation lows has helped a lot of stocks meet criteria to enter F&O segment. The NSE CNX Midcap and Smallcap indices have rallied 30 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively,