Add new comment

You are absolutely correct the global derivatives market has a $600 trillion notional value, 12 times the size of the global economy. Only a small sliver of that money is actual hard dollars changing hands. This number would be a complete nonsense number, except that these derivatives are so dangerous. (The US derivatives market is a $250 trillion dollar market notional value.) For more on this see [http://www.newsweek.com/2008/10/17/600-000-000-000-000.html Newsweek].