Market snapshot

US market

The total notional amount across all product types in the US decreased by almost 20% in comparison to the previous month, but was still significantly higher than was generated in any one month during 2009. Figure 1 shows the most popular products in the US over the last six months by notional.

A huge number of reverse convertibles were issued, with the products accounting for more than half of the notional generated in February. Barclays and the Royal Bank of Canada were the main issuer