Cleartrade Exchange (CLTX), the Singaporean Futures Exchange, today announced significant growth in traded volumes in 2015 despite challenging conditions in many of its underlying commodity markets. The exchange, which is part of EEX Group, saw 3,163,365 lots traded across all products in 2015, an increase in total volume of 37% against 2014. In addition to growing exchange volumes, the organisation’s technology business reported a 79% volume increase over 2014 driven by greater use of its infrastructure by inter-dealer brokers.
“I am delighted that we have been able to win more volume from our markets in 2015 and cap another year of growth for the business”, said Richard Baker, CEO of CLTX. “Although conditions and prices in main underlying markets of shipping, ferrous metals and fuel oil have been depressed in 2015, we have seen more organisations taking advantage of CLTX’s value as a regulated solution offering best execution, innovative technology and outstanding customer service.”
CLTX has now processed over 7 million lots through more than 110,000 individual trade transactions since its first trade in 2011. 2015 witnessed particularly strong growth in the fuel oil market with the exchange reporting a 49% increase in total lots traded.
Richard Heath, Head of Sales and Market Development attributed this to a new liquidity campaign on the product since mid-year. “The addition of a new fuel oil market maker in June has enabled us to create a really compelling offering for organisations managing risk in this sector. We believe that our flat price coverage is unique in the market. With firm two way prices available to trade at the same rate regardless of clip size, securely on exchange for 12 hours each day, we expect that many more organisations will take advantage of our offering in 2016.”
Finally, FFA and iron ore volumes also grew strongly. “In 2015, we worked continuously to improve the efficiency of our trade registration solution and made it easier for our clients to interact with us through the launch of CLTX Portal, which is our single entry point unifying all of the exchange’s products and services.”, explained Zhirui Ang, CLTX’s Operations Director. “Our ambition of reducing risk for counterparties by achieving 100% straight-through processing (STP) to multiple clearing houses from a single easy to use trade registration platform, which all brokers can access, is closer than ever before and has seen us grow our business as both a futures exchange and technology provider to our IDB partners.”
