CBOT: Fed Funds Open Interest Continues To Climb

Open Interest in Fed Fund futures continues to climb, crossing over the 200,000 contract level on November 27, as continued easing of key lending rates by the Federal Reserve has led investors to the CBOT®'s Fed Funds Pit to hedge their exposure. Open Interest, a key measure of a contract's liquidity, has grown over 224% from the beginning of the year and over 305% from November of 2000. And as the Fed continues to adjust key lending rates, the position on the yield curve that the Fed Funds occupy will continue to draw interest from holders of shorter term financial instruments as well as owners of longer dated issues. Fed Fund futures Open Outcry trading hours are from 7:20 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST as well as 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST on the CBOT®'s electronic trading platform.