CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) announced on Thursday that April 2013 volume averaged 11.6 million contracts per day, up 8 percent as compared to the previous year. Total April 2013 volume was more than 254 million contracts with 87 percent trading electronically.
April 2013 highlights included the the following:
- CME Group metals volume averaged a record 532,000 contracts per day, up 62 percent from April 2012. This was driven by monthly records across various products including copper.?
- CME Group energy volume averaged 1.9 million contracts per day in April, up 20 percent compared with the prior April. During the month, open interest in NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) futures hit a record 1.77 million contracts and open interest for NYMEX Brent Crude Oil Futures surpassed 53,000. In addition, 458,000 energy contracts had been cleared through CME ClearPort, up 16 percent from the prior April and up 5 percent sequentially.
- CME Group foreign exchange (FX) volume averaged 898,000 contracts per day, up 18 percent from the previous April. Continued strength in the Japanese Yen had been noted. ?
- April CME Group equity index volume averaged 2.7 million daily contracts, up 16 percent from the same period last year.?
- CME Group interest rate volume averaged 4.3 million contracts per day, down 2 percent from April 2012.? Treasury futures volume averaged 2.2 million daily contracts, up 14 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Treasury options volume averaged 393,000 contracts per day, also up 14 percent from April 2012.?
- On April 29, 2013, the 10 millionth contract had been traded in weekly Treasury options; these had launched on January 24, 2011.?
- Eurodollar futures volume averaged 1.4 million contracts per day, down 12 percent from the same period a year ago. Eurodollar options volume averaged 317,000 contracts per day, a 36 percent decline from the previous April.
- CME Group agricultural commodities volume averaged 1.2 million contracts per day, down 6 percent compared with the prior-year period.? This total now includes the Kansas City Board of Trade hard red winter wheat futures and options volume for the month; they averaged 31,000 contracts per day, up 48 percent compared with the same period in 2012.*?
*KCBT hard red winter wheat average daily volume is included within the CME Group rollup as of ?April 1, 2013, but not historically prior to that date, following the acquisition which closed on November 30, 2012.