Source: Mint
Context:
On September 2, 2025, SEBI announced a new entity-level framework to monitor intraday positions in equity index options, effective October 1, 2025. The move aims to curb risky expiry-day bets and enhance market stability.
What are Equity Index Options?
- Equity Index Options are derivative contracts that allow traders to take positions on stock indices (like Nifty 50, Bank Nifty) without buying or selling the actual stocks.
- They are widely used for hedging, speculation, and arbitrage.
What are Intraday Positions?
- Intraday position means the exposure a trader or entity builds within a single trading day.
- Positions are squared off (closed) before the end of the day, but during the day, they can be very large.
- Intraday monitoring is critical because sharp moves on expiry days (when contracts expire) can create volatility risks.
Key Features of the Framework
- Net Intraday Position Limit: â‚ą5,000 crore (up from existing end-of-day â‚ą1,500 crore).
- Gross Intraday Position Limit: â‚ą10,000 crore per side (buy and sell separately), same as end-of-day.
- Monitoring: Exchanges to capture at least four random snapshots daily, including one between 2:45 pm–3:30 pm (peak volatility).
- Penalties: Breaches on expiry days will attract penalties or additional surveillance deposits from December 6, 2025.
- Exemptions: Higher limits for entities with underlying exposure above â‚ą5,000 crore.
- Implementation: Joint SOP for intraday monitoring to be issued by exchanges within 15 days.
Keywords
- Net Position: Overall directional bet (long minus short).
- Gross Position: Total exposure (buy + sell sides combined).
- Delta-Based Monitoring: Measures sensitivity of option price to index movement. (But misses risks from gamma and vega).
Why It Matters
- Market Stability: Prevents sudden large expiry-day positions causing volatility.
- Investor Protection: Shields retail participants from manipulation and abrupt swings.
- Expiry Day Changes: Comes as NSE shifted weekly index option expiry to Tuesday, BSE to Thursday, altering trading dynamics.
- Regulatory Vigilance: Triggered by Jane Street case, where SEBI alleged market manipulation in Bank Nifty options worth â‚ą4,843.57 crore gains.
