CME Group Reaches Highest-Ever Quarterly Average Daily Volume of 22.2 Million Contracts for First-Quarter 2018

CME Group Reaches Highest-Ever Quarterly Average Daily Volume of 22.2 Million Contracts for First-Quarter 2018

-- Record quarterly average daily volume (ADV) in five of six asset classes

-- Record quarterly ADV across Options

-- Record Eurodollar futures ADV of 4.1 million contracts and record open interest surpassing 17.8 million

-- More than 20 million contracts traded on thirty-six trading days in 2018

CHICAGO, April 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced it reached an all-time high quarterly average daily volume (ADV) of 22.2 million contracts during first-quarter 2018, up 30 percent from first-quarter 2017. CME Group first-quarter 2018 saw record options volume, averaging 4.9 million contracts per day, up 31 percent versus first-quarter 2017, with electronic options averaging a record 3.1 million contracts per day, up 45 percent over the same period last year.

During 2018 to date, there were 36 trading days with volume above 20 million contracts. This compares with 34 trading days above 20 million contracts throughout the entire year in 2017. CME Group March 2018 ADV reached 20.8 million contracts, up 23 percent from March 2017. Open interest at the end of March was 126 million contracts, an increase of 10 percent from the end of March 2017, and up 17 percent from year-end 2017.

Equity Index volume averaged a record 4.1 million contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 48 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Record Equity Index options ADV, up 51 percent to 1.1 million contracts,
        including 29 percent growth in E-mini S&P 500 Weekly options and 73
        percent growth in E-mini S&P 500 End-of-Month (EOM) options
    --  Record E-mini Dow futures ADV, up 99 percent to 282,000 contracts
    --  E-mini S&P 500 futures and options ADV grew 31 percent to 3 million
        contracts
    --  E-mini NASDAQ 100 futures and options ADV grew 131 percent to 495,000
        contracts
    --  E-mini Russell 2000 futures and options averaged 189,000 contracts per
        day in March 2018, up from an average 162,000 contracts during February
        2018
    --  Monday and Wednesday Weekly S&P 500 options traded an average 126,000
        contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up from an average 73,000
        contracts per day in fourth-quarter 2017

Metals volume averaged a record 713,000 contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 39 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Record Gold futures ADV, up 43 percent to 382,000 contracts
    --  Copper futures and options ADV increased 44 percent to 137,000 contracts
    --  Silver futures and options ADV rose 34 percent to 109,000 contracts
    --  Copper options open interest reached record 21,000 contracts on March
        23, 2018

Interest Rate volume averaged a record 11.9 million contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 30 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Record Eurodollar futures ADV, up 31 percent to 4.1 million contracts
    --  Record daily open interest for Eurodollar futures of more than 17.8
        million on March 15, 2018
    --  Record Interest Rate options ADV, up 29 percent to 3.1 million contracts
    --  Record 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures ADV, up 24 percent to 1.9
        million contracts
    --  Record 5-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures ADV, up 25 percent to 1.2
        million contracts
    --  Record 2-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures ADV, up 61 percent to 610,000
        contracts
    --  Record Ultra 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures ADV, up 99 percent to
        206,000 contracts
    --  Record Ultra Bond futures ADV, up 45 percent to 189,000 contracts
    --  Electronic Eurodollar options ADV grew 46 percent to 631,000 contracts
    --  Fed Fund futures ADV rose 12 percent to 283,000 contracts

Agricultural volume averaged 1.6 million contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 26 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Record Hard Red Winter Wheat futures ADV, up 68 percent to 74,000
        contracts
    --  Grain and Oilseed futures and options ADV increased 28 percent to 1.4
        million contracts
    --  Corn futures ADV increased 30 percent to 427,000 contracts
    --  Ten record daily open interest days for Corn futures, surpassing 1.8
        million contracts open interest on March 16
    --  Electronic Agricultural options ADV increased 28 percent to 205,000
        contracts

Foreign Exchange volume averaged a record 1.1 million contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 23 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Euro FX futures and options ADV grew 32 percent to 330,000 contracts
    --  British pound futures and options ADV increased 18 percent to 156,000
        contracts
    --  Australian dollar futures and options ADV grew 38 percent to 133,000
        contracts

Energy volume averaged a record 2.8 million contracts per day in first-quarter 2018, up 10 percent from first-quarter 2017. Highlights include:

    --  Record Heating Oil futures ADV, up 21 percent to 198,000 contracts
    --  WTI Crude Oil futures and options ADV grew 16 percent to 1.5 million
        contracts, including 18 percent growth for WTI futures ADV of 1.3
        million contracts
    --  Henry Hub Natural Gas futures and options ADV increased 11 percent to
        664,000 contracts
    --  Energy options ADV grew 6 percent to a record 351,000 contracts

Footnote: To see CME Group daily over-the-counter (OTC) notional cleared volumes and open interest, monthly OTC notional cleared volumes and monthly total trade count, go to http://www.cmegroup.com/education/cme-volume-oi-records.html


    QUARTERLY AVERAGE DAILY VOLUME (ADV)


                                          Total Exchange ADV

                                            (in thousands)


                                         1Q 2018             1Q 2017
                                         -------             -------

    Trading
     Days                                             61                 62


    PRODUCT
     LINE                                1Q 2018             1Q 2017        Percent Change
                                         -------             -------        --------------

    Interest
     Rates                                        11,948              9,169                29%

    Equity
     Indexes                                       4,096              2,766                47%

    Foreign
     Exchange
     (FX)                                          1,100                894                23%

    Energy                                         2,754              2,496                10%

     Agricultural
     Commodities                                   1,593              1,261                27%

    Metals                                           713                512                39%
                                                     ---                ---                ---

       Total                                      22,204             17,098                29%


    VENUE                                 1Q 2018            1Q 2017        Percent Change
                                         -------             -------        --------------

    Open outcry                                    1,556              1,362                14%

    CME Globex                                    19,796             14,947                32%

    Privately
     negotiated                                      851                789                 8%

    MONTHLY AVERAGE DAILY VOLUME (ADV)


                                        Total Exchange ADV

                                          (in thousands)


                                       Mar 2018            Mar 2017
                                       --------            --------

    Trading Days                                    21                  23


    PRODUCT LINE                       Mar 2018            Mar 2017        Percent Change
                                       --------            --------        --------------

    Interest
     Rates                                      10,713               8,702                23%

    Equity
     Indexes                                     4,410               3,189                38%

    Foreign
     Exchange
     (FX)                                        1,120                 978                15%

    Energy                                       2,352               2,465                -5%

    Agricultural
     Commodities                                 1,546               1,113                39%

    Metals                                         683                 491                39%
                                                   ---                 ---                ---

       Total                                    20,824              16,937                23%


    VENUE                              Mar 2018            Mar 2017        Percent Change
                                       --------            --------        --------------

    Open outcry                                  1,395               1,384                 1%

    CME Globex                                  18,710              14,778                27%

    Privately
     negotiated                                    719                 775                -7%




    ROLLING THREE-MONTH AVERAGES


    Average Daily Volume (In thousands)


                                        3-Month Period Ending

     PRODUCT
     LINE                                      Mar-18         Feb-18        Jan-18        Dec-17

     Interest
     Rates                                             11,948        10,699         8,673         7,970

     Equity
     Indexes                                            4,096         3,608         2,911         2,632

     Foreign
     Exchange
     (FX)                                               1,100         1,069         1,011           941

    Energy                                              2,754         2,771         2,732         2,489

     Agricultural
     Commodities                                        1,593         1,446         1,315         1,278

    Metals                                                713           662           684           616
                                                          ---           ---           ---           ---

       Total                                           22,204        20,254        17,326        15,925


    VENUE                                      Mar-18         Feb-18        Jan-18        Dec-17

     Open
     outcry                                             1,556         1,412         1,127         1,066

    Electronic                                         19,796        18,032        15,509        14,265

     Privately
     negotiated                                           851           810           690           594




    Average Rate Per Contract (In dollars)


                                        3-Month Period Ending

     PRODUCT
     LINE                                       Feb-18        Jan-18       Dec-17       Nov-17

     Interest
     Rates                                              0.476        0.471        0.467        0.464

     Equity
     Indexes                                            0.796        0.785        0.768        0.736

     Foreign
     Exchange
     (FX)                                               0.766        0.789        0.785        0.784

    Energy                                              1.137        1.120        1.133        1.114

     Agricultural
     Commodities                                        1.246        1.255        1.251        1.254

    Metals                                              1.362        1.333        1.315        1.299
                                                        -----        -----        -----        -----

       Total                                            0.723        0.738        0.736        0.723

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. Around the world, CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform. CME Group also operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers through CME Clearing, which offers clearing and settlement services across asset classes for exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives. CME Group products and services ensure that businesses around the world can effectively manage risk and achieve growth.

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT, Chicago Board of Trade, KCBT and Kansas City Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. Dow Jones, Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and S&P are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and S&P/Dow Jones Indices LLC, as the case may be, and have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CME-G

CONTACT: Media, Laurie Bischel, 312.648.8698, Alex Rapoport, 312.930.3193, news@cmegroup.com, www.cmegroup.com/media-room.html; or Investor, John Peschier, 312.930.8491

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SOURCE CME Group