CME Group Volume Averaged 12.5 Million Contracts per Day in March 2013

– FX volume up 14 percent
– Equities volume up 13 percent
– First-quarter volume averaged 12.5 million contracts per day, up 1 percent, with 4 of 6 product lines up year-over-year

CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced that March 2013 volume averaged 12.5 million contracts per day, flat compared with March 2012.  Total volume for March 2013 was more than 249 million contracts, of which 88 percent was traded electronically.  First-quarter 2013 volume averaged 12.5 million contracts per day, up 1 percent from first-quarter 2012.  Highlights included record quarterly futures and options volume in the British Pound, Japanese Yen, Ultra Treasury Bond, longer-dated Eurodollar and live cattle contracts.  In addition, during the month of February, CME had record FX options volume, record Treasury futures volume and strong Treasury options volume.

In March 2013, CME Group foreign exchange (FX) volume averaged 1.1 million contracts per day, up 14 percent from March 2012.  In addition, the global suite of FX products had record open interest and large open interest holders on March 7, 2013.  CME Group equity index volume in March 2013 averaged 3.1 million contracts per day, up 13 percent from the same period last year.

CME Group interest rate volume averaged 5.2 million contracts per day, down 7 percent from March 2012.  Treasury futures volume averaged 2.5 million contracts per day, up 9 percent compared with the same period a year ago.  Treasury options volume averaged 454,000 contracts per day, up 3 percent from March 2012.  Eurodollar futures volume averaged 1.9 million contracts per day, down 11 percent from the same period a year ago, while Eurodollar options volume averaged 395,000 contracts per day, down 49 percent from March last year.  Strength in longer-dated Eurodollar contract activity partially offset low volatility at the front end of the curve, which included solid volume in Purple Mid-Curve options, which launched on March 11, 2013.

CME Group energy volume averaged 1.8 million contracts per day in March 2013, up 3 percent compared with the prior March, achieving record open interest in WTI futures.  In addition, Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures set nine consecutive open interest records.  Furthermore, open interest for NYMEX Brent Crude Oil Futures surpassed 50,000.  CME Group metals volume averaged 368,000 contracts per day, down 7 percent from the same period last year.

CME Group agricultural commodities volume in March 2013 averaged 969,000 contracts per day, down 13 percent compared with the prior-year period.  Kansas City Board of Trade hard red winter wheat futures and options volume averaged 24,579 contracts per day in March 2013, up 24 percent compared with the same period in 2012.