Easy to Short
Enter a short position as easily as a long position, free from securities shorting regulation.
Mitigate Counterparty Risk
Trade with confidence using exchange traded, centrally cleared products. No complex ISDA or bilateral agreements.
Broad Exposure
Quickly add or remove exposure to the credit bond market.
Products at a Glance
High Yield | Investment Grade | Emerging Market Debt | |
---|---|---|---|
Contract Specifications | High Yield Futures | Investment Grade Futures | EM Debt Futures |
Futures Ticker | IBHY | IBIG | IEMD |
BBG Ticker | IBYA | IHBA | IEDA |
Underlying Exposure | iBoxx® iShares® $ High Yield Corporate Bond Index | iBoxx® iShares® $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index | iBoxx® $USD Liquid Emerging Markets Sovereigns & Sub-Sovereigns Index |
Expiration Cycle | Monthly and Quarterly (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec) |
Monthly and Quarterly (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec) |
|
Contract Multiplier | $1000 | $100 |
IBHY
High Yield
Monthly and Quarterly
(Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec)
$1000
|
IBIG
Investment Grade
Monthly and Quarterly
(Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec)
$1000
|
IEMD
Emerging Market Debt
Monthly and Quarterly(Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec)
$100
|
IBYO
High Yield
|
IBGO
Investment Grade
|
Trade with Impact
Cboe is proud to introduce a charitable giving initiative currently running from July 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025. For every IBHY and IBIG futures contract traded during this period, a donation will be made to charity: water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe water to people around the world.
CFE transaction fees remain unchanged throughout the campaign.
Inside the Index Construction
Corporate Bond Futures
The underlying indexes for IBHY and IBIG are uniquely constructed by intersecting a benchmark index with the actual holdings of their respective ETFs—HYG and LQD. This approach ensures that the futures contracts are closely aligned with the same liquid portfolios actively managed and traded within the ETFs.
Upcoming Webinars: Navigating the Corporate Bond Market
Part 1: Diving into Corporate Debt
Date: Wednesday July 30, 2025
Time: 11:00 am CT
Learn the mechanics, structure, types and factors that influence Corporate Bond prices and yield.
Part 2: Benefits and Use Cases of Corporate Bond Futures
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 11:00 am CT
A deep dive intro Corporate Bond derivatives and strategies for risk management.
Portfolio Use Cases
Tactically adjust credit risk exposure without disrupting underlying holdings
Quickly adjust credit allocations in response to inflows, outflows, or changing market conditions.
Maintain targeted credit exposure while awaiting investment opportunities or managing fund flows.
Efficiently manage credit risk exposure and protect against adverse market moves
Capitalize on discrepancies between credit market segments or specific issuers
Generate additional income by writing options on credit futures, potentially boosting returns
Portfolio Overlay
Tactically adjust credit risk exposure without disrupting underlying holdings
Liquidity Management
Quickly adjust credit allocations in response to inflows, outflows, or changing market conditions.
Cash Equitization
Maintain targeted credit exposure while awaiting investment opportunities or managing fund flows.
Hedging
Efficiently manage credit risk exposure and protect against adverse market moves
Relative Value
Capitalize on discrepancies between credit market segments or specific issuers
Yield Enhancement
Generate additional income by writing options on credit futures, potentially boosting returns
Which Credit Product is Right for You?
Navigating the diverse landscape of credit products can be challenging for portfolio managers. Let's explore how these products compare across key dimensions to help you determine the best fit for your investment strategy and operational requirements.
Feature | Cboe Credit Derivatives | ETFs | Total Return Swaps | CDX |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unfunded | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Interest Rate Risk | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
Expiration Cycle | ✓ | Borrow must be located; | ✓ | ✓ |
Contract Multiplier | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
Cboe Credit Derivatives
✓
✓
✓
✓
|
ETF
X
✓
Borrow must be located;
✓
|
Total Return Swaps
✓
✓
✓
X
|
CDX
✓
X
✓
X
|
Additional
Resources and Tools
Understanding the Connections: Liquid and Linked
IBHY futures are linked to the liquid iShares® iBoxx® $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG ETF). HYG is among the most widely used ETFs for U.S. dollar denominated, high yield corporate bonds.* The index that underlies IBHY futures is the iBoxx® iShares® $ High Yield Corporate Bond Index (IBXXIBHY Index) which is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar denominated, high yield corporate debt. IBHY futures and HYG are interrelated in that the composition of the IBXXIBHY Index is derived from the intersection of the components of the iBoxx® $ High Yield Developed Markets Index and the HYG ETF portfolio.
Similarly, IBIG futures are linked to the liquid iShares® iBoxx® $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD ETF). LQD is is among the most widely used ETFs for U.S. dollar denominated, investment grade corporate bonds.* The index that underlies IBIG futures is iBoxx® iShares® $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (IBXXIBIG Index) which is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar denominated, investment grade corporate debt. IBIG futures and LQD are interrelated in that the composition of the IBXXIBIG Index is derived from the intersection of the components of the iBoxx $ Overall Index and the LQD ETF portfolio.
*Source: Bloomberg, based on 20 Day Average Volume as of July 1, 2025
Disclaimer:
The iBoxx iShares $ High Yield Corporate Bond Index and the iBoxx iShares $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (“iBoxx iShares $ Corporate Bond Indices”) and the iBoxx® USD Liquid Emerging Market Sovereigns & Sub-Sovereigns Index are products of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates or licensors (“S&P DJI”) and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. iBoxx®, S&P®, S&P 500®, SPX®, US 500®, The 500®, DSPX®, DSPBX®, iTraxx®, CDX®, and Dividend Aristocrats® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and has been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices; and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P DJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by Cboe Exchange, Inc. Cboe® iBoxx® iShares® $ High Yield Corporate Bond Index futures and options on futures, Cboe® iBoxx® iShares® $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index futures and options on futures, and Cboe® iBoxx® $ Emerging Market Bond Index futures are not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by S&P DJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates, and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the iBoxx iShares $ Corporate Bond Indices or the iBoxx® USD Liquid Emerging Market Sovereigns & Sub-Sovereigns Index.
The iBoxx® iShares® $ High Yield Corporate Bond Index and the iBoxx® iShares® $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (the “Indexes”), futures contracts on the Indexes and options on futures contracts on the Indexes (“Contracts”) are not sponsored by, or sold by BlackRock, Inc. or any of its affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”). BlackRock makes no representation or warranty, express or implied to any person regarding the advisability of investing in securities, generally, or in the Contracts in particular. Nor does BlackRock make any representation or warranty as to the ability of the Index to track the performance of the fixed income securities market, generally, or the performance of HYG, LQD or any subset of fixed income securities.
BlackRock has not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the fixed income securities that comprise the Indexes (“Underlying Data”). BlackRock is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amounts of the Contracts, or the timing of the issuance or sale of such Contracts or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Contracts are to be converted into cash (if applicable). BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration or trading of the Contracts. BlackRock does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Data and any data included therein and BlackRock shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions related thereto.
BlackRock makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by S&P DJI, the parties to the Contracts or any other person with respect to the use of the Underlying Data or any data included therein. BlackRock makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Data or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BlackRock have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) resulting from the use of the Underlying Data or any data included therein, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.