Risk Quantum/Options Clearing Corporation (OCC)
OCC’s initial margin spikes 27% in Q3
CCP hits new margin record for second consecutive quarter
OCC payment obligations hit record in Q1
Liquid resources up 6.5% as liquidity risk grows to new highs
Tariff whiplash fuels clearing volumes at major CCPs
Record OCC volumes and strong gains at CME and Eurex mark April’s tariff-driven trading spike
CCP default funds 35% larger than on eve of pandemic
Sixteen out of 25 clearing services had bigger buffers heading into the recent tariff turmoil compared to Q4 2019
OCC’s equity-based IM hit record 91% heading into 2025
CCP’s margin base leant further into equities ahead of market turmoil
Liquidity risk spikes at CME and OCC
CCPs revised estimated worst-case payment obligation to highest levels on record in Q4
NSCC suffers record $7bn liquidity shortfall
Index rebalancing in December drives CCP’s largest-ever simulated funding gap
Clearing members favour domestic sovereign bonds for IM in Q3
Secured cash at commercial banks and central bank deposits also on the rise as part of collateral diversification
Member contributions propel six default funds to new highs
Skin in the game unchanged at four CCPs amid $3bn rise in default resources
Estimated stressed losses rise at OCC, LCH and JSCC
New stress scenario boosts worst-case loss at Options Clearing Corporation by half
Options expiry triggers $4bn liquidity shortfall at NSCC
Second-largest simulated shortfall on record mitigated by extra liquidity deposit and OCC commitment
Default funds at CME, JSCC and OCC grew to record levels in Q1
CCPs’ skin in the game fails to keep pace with member contributions
Record rise in concentration at top CCPs leads to all-time high
Median top-five member open position concentration rises 2.4pp in Q4
Concentration risk ticks up at large CCPs
Top five clearing members accounted for almost half IM and open positions in Q3
OCC default fund up 19% in Q3
Hypothetical stress losses behind latest spike in member contributions
OCC skin in the game down by nearly a third
Hike in capital expenditures and tax payments drives decrease
OCC liquidity risk doubles to all-time high in Q2
Concentration of activity around June expiration responsible for record rise
RepoClear’s default fund halves in Q1
Elevated initial margin allows LCH service to scale back second line of defence to lowest point on record
CCPs shun central banks in liquidity buffers rejig
LCH, Ice US and CME lead the way towards commercial banks
Initial margin at OCC declined over Q4
Calmer markets triggered downward revision as requirements drop $30bn
CCP ‘skin in the game’ still dwarfed by member contributions
Even as markets churned in 2022, clearing houses coughed up only 2% of funds at end-September – the same as the previous year