"E-mini Russell 2000 futures are proving useful to a growing number of customers who want to manage risk or increase exposure to small-cap stocks," said CME Chairman Terry Duffy. "This growth in open interest and the resulting increased liquidity gets the product off to a great start in 2003."
"CME's E-mini stock index products are sized for individuals and institutions that need a smaller contract size and prefer electronic execution," said CME President and Chief Executive Officer Jim McNulty. "In the case of the E-mini Russell 2000, with a contract size of about $35,000, this combination is once again proving its value to customers in the small-cap segment."
Open interest in E-mini Russell 2000 futures began its record setting climb on Jan. 29, with 18,324 open positions.
E-mini Russell 2000 Index futures contracts, launched in October 2001, are one-fifth the size of standard-sized Russell 2000 futures and trade on CME's GLOBEX® electronic trading platform. CME marked the 10th anniversary of Russell 2000 futures on Feb. 4, 2003.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (www.cme.com) is the largest futures exchange in the United States and the second largest exchange in the world for the trading of futures and options on futures. As an international marketplace, CME brings together buyers and sellers on its trading floors and GLOBEX® around-the-clock electronic trading platform. CME offers futures and options on futures primarily in four product areas: interest rates, stock indexes, foreign exchange and commodities. The exchange moves an average of about $1.8 billion per day in settlement payments and manages $27.4 billion in collateral deposits. CME is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CME).
