Exchange-wide volume for August totaled 22,022,906 contracts (12,703,842 calls and 9,319,064 puts), down 1% versus the 22,307,744 contracts traded in August 2001. For the month of August, average daily volume was 1,001,041 contracts, a 3% increase over the August 2001 average daily volume of 969,902 contracts. At the end of August, open interest reached 89,929,731 contracts, up 20% over the 75,214,085 contracts at the close of August 2001.
Stock option volume totaled 13,085,454 contracts (8,173,194 calls and 4,912,260 puts), compared to the 15,999,782 contracts traded in August 2001. Average daily volume in stock options was 594,793 contracts. Open interest in stock options stood at 76,410,173 contracts at the end of August 2002, up 16% from 66,008,765 contracts at the end of August 2001.
For the fourth consecutive month, total index option volume posted gains at CBOE. In August, total index options volume reached 8,932,738 contracts (4,527,338 calls and 4,405,400 puts) traded, an increase of 42% over the 2001 total of 6,306,300 contracts. Average daily volume in index options totaled 406,034 contracts, an increase of 48% over the August 2001 average daily volume of 274,187 contracts. Open interest in index options was 13,510,656 contracts at month's end, 47% higher than the August 2001 total of 9,199,768 contracts. Through the end of August, total year-to-date volume in index options is 25% ahead of YTD 2001, as 59,485,030 contracts (27,046,572 calls and 32,438,458 puts) have traded.
S&P 500 Index options (SPX) were the most actively traded index options at CBOE, with a total of 2,610,750 contracts traded, an increase of 39% over the August 2001 volume of 1,874,829 contracts. Average daily volume during August in SPX options was 118,670 contracts, an increase of 46% over the previous year. Open interest in SPX stood at 4,166,899 contracts at the end of August 2002, an increase of 39% over year-ago levels.
August volume for options on the Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock (QQQ) was 2,363,350 contracts traded, up 10% over the 2001 total volume of 2,155,983 contracts. Average daily volume for the month was 107,425 contracts, an increase of 15% over last year, while open interest in the QQQ options stood at 6,053,759 contracts at the end of August 2002.
Trading volume during the month of August 2002 in Options on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJX) totaled 1,190,068 contracts traded, a 74% increase over the 683,616 contracts traded last August. Average daily volume was 54,094 contracts, up 82% over 2001. Open interest in the DJX options stood at 1,088,373 contracts at month's end, an increase of 129% over August 2001. Additionally, a single-day volume record in DJX options was established on August 15th when 136,915 contracts traded. This surpassed the previous single-day volume record of 136,293 contracts traded on November 21, 1997.
Trading volume for options on the S&P 100 Index (OEX) was strong in August with a 75% increase in volume over 2001. Volume in the American-style exercise OEX options totaled 1,346,904 contracts, versus the 767,750 contracts from August 2001. Average daily volume in OEX was 61,223 contracts, up 83% from 2001 and open interest stood at 326,217 contracts at month's end, an increase of 35% over 2001. The European-style exercise (XEO) launched last July, registered total volume of 132,447 contracts traded. Average daily volume in XEO options was 6,020 contracts. Open interest in the XEO stood at 70,809 at the end of August 2002.
Monthly volume in the Nasdaq-100 Index options (NDX) totaled 115,476 contracts, an increase of 7% over the 107,921 contracts traded in August 2001. Average daily volume in NDX was 5,249 contracts, up 12% over last year. Open interest in NDX was 113,348 contracts at the end of August, a 103% rise over 2001.
Options on DIAMONDS (DIA), launched in May, continued to post impressive growth as 492,355 contracts traded in August. Average daily volume was 22,380 contracts, while, at month's end, open interest was 229,045 contracts.
CBOE, the world's largest options marketplace and the creator of listed options, is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For additional information about the CBOE and its products, access the CBOE web site at www.cboe.com.
