CBOT Year-To-Date Trading Volume Eclipses 2003 Record

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT®) announced today that year-to-date trading volume surpassed total volume traded at the exchange in 2003, setting a new annual record. From January 1 through October 6, total trading activity at the exchange was 455,108,482 contracts, exceeding the prior record of 454,590,630 contracts traded from January through December 2003.

CBOT President and CEO Bernard Dan said, “With three months left before the end of 2004, CBOT volume has already overtaken last year’s record level, as the exchange’s highly liquid, transparent markets continue to attract volume from customers worldwide. Consistently strong gains in CBOT volume stems from our customer-focused initiatives, such as the exchange’s migration to our premier electronic trading platform, which provides round-the-clock access to our markets. Further, our transition to the Common Clearing Link with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, an innovative clearing solution, has resulted in substantial efficiencies for our customers.”

The Common Clearing Link with the CME, implemented in January 2004, standardized the clearing process and delivered capital requirement reductions of $1.8 billion.

The migration to e-cbot, powered by LIFFE CONNECT®, also took place in January 2004, allowing the CBOT to offer customers a superior electronic trading platform with greater speed and functionality.