CME Group Volume Averaged 12.2 Million Contracts per Day in 2010, up 19 Percent; Double-Digit ADV Growth for Fourth Quarter and December

— Fourth-quarter volume averaged 12.0 million contracts per day, up 17 percent
— December volume averaged 10.5 million contracts per day, up 15 percent
— Fourth-quarter agricultural commodities average daily volume set record, up 42 percent
— Fourth-quarter metals average daily volume set record, up 27 percent

CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced that 2010 volume averaged 12.2 million contracts per day, up 19 percent from 2009. Highlights for the year included average daily volume growth above 40 percent for foreign exchange (FX) and metals products, as well as double-digit growth in interest rates, energy and agricultural commodities. Year-end open interest for 2010 increased 9 percent compared with year-end 2009. Fourth-quarter volume averaged 12.0 million contracts per day, up 17 percent from fourth-quarter 2009, and included record average daily volumes in agricultural commodities and metals and double-digit average daily volume growth in interest rates, FX, agricultural commodities and metals product lines.

December 2010 volume averaged 10.5 million contracts per day, up 15 percent from December 2009. Total volume for December was 232 million contracts, of which 83 percent was traded electronically.

In December, CME Group interest rate volume averaged 5.0 million contracts per day, up 29 percent compared with the prior December. Treasury futures volume averaged 1.9 million contracts per day, up 37 percent compared with the same period in 2009, and Treasury options volume averaged 275,000 contracts per day, up 16 percent. Eurodollar futures volume averaged 2.2 million contracts per day, up 30 percent versus December 2009, and Eurodollar options volume averaged 649,000 contracts per day, up 20 percent.

CME Group equity index volume averaged 2.1 million contracts per day, down 4 percent from December 2009. CME Group foreign exchange (FX) volume averaged 811,000 contracts per day, up 10 percent compared with the same period a year ago, reflecting average daily notional value of $107 billion.

CME Group energy volume averaged 1.4 million contracts per day, down 1 percent compared with December 2009. CME Group agricultural commodities volume averaged 836,000 contracts per day, up 37 percent compared with the prior December. CME Group metals volume averaged 270,000 contracts per day, down 1 percent compared with the same period last year.

Electronic volume averaged 8.8 million contracts per day, up 16 percent from the prior December, while privately negotiated volume increased 22 percent, to 196,000 contracts per day. Average daily volume cleared through CME ClearPort was 351,000 contracts for December 2010, down 13 percent compared with December 2009. Open outcry volume averaged 1.2 million contracts per day in December 2010, up 11 percent versus the prior December.