This paper analyzes the credit default swaps (CDS) market from 2019 to the first half of 2024, focusing on trends in single-name CDS and index CDS market activity. Over this period, total CDS market activity reached a high point of $38.7 trillion in 2022, driven primarily by index CDS.

Single-name CDS activity was at its greatest in the first half of 2023, as market participants sought to manage specific credit exposures and protect against anticipated changes in the creditworthiness of individual entities, especially in the banking sector. Although it fell in the first half of 2024, single-name CDS activity remained above 2022 levels, reflecting sustained demand for credit risk protection.

Index CDS trading peaked in 2022 as market participants hedged against broader market instability during a period of heightened uncertainty. As macroeconomic conditions stabilized and central banks moderated their rate hikes, demand for index CDS declined in 2023 and the first half of 2024, but activity remained above 2021 levels.

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