In: Finance
What is the “notional value” of a derivative contract, and how is this different than the market value of the derivative contract?
Notional value is the total underlying amount of a derivatives trade. The notional value of derivative contracts is much higher than the market value due to a concept called leverage.
While the notional value determines the total value of the position, based on contract specifications, the market value is essentially the price of a single unit of security.