"I didn't become interested in derivatives until 1982, 1983"

John C. Hull's quote suggests that he was not interested in derivatives until the very early 1980s. This could imply that he was not aware of derivatives prior to this time, or that he knew them yet did not take an interest in them up until the very early 1980s. Derivatives are economic instruments that acquire their value from an underlying property, such as supplies, bonds, assets, or money. They are used to hedge against risk, speculate on price activities, as well as produce revenue. It is possible that John C. Hull was not revealed to derivatives up until the very early 1980s, when they began to come to be much more commonly made use of in the financial markets. Alternatively, he might have recognized by-products prior to this time, however only ended up being curious about them in the very early 1980s. Whatever the situation, John C. Hull's quote suggests that he did not become curious about by-products till the early 1980s.