CME Equity Index Products Set New July Monthly Volume Record - GLOBEX®2 Volume Rises 110 Percent Year-To-Date

Year-to-date trading volume on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) rose nearly 13 percent through July 31 to 135.7 million contracts, as July volume totaled 15.5 million. A new July monthly volume record was set in equity index products, with volume of more than 4 million contracts including a July record of 3.7 million equity index futures.

Volume on the CME's GLOBEX®2 electronic trading system rose more than 110 percent, year-to-date, totaling 17,226,616. July's volume of 2,421,030 represented more than an 87 percent increase over July 1999 levels.

July's record equity index product volume fueled year-to-date growth of 34.1 percent in equity index trading on the CME, reaching 35.3 million contracts. Similarly, trading in interest rate products has increased 13 percent, year-to-date.

E-mini Nasdaq 100 Index futures set a new all-time monthly volume record of 755,913, as did Nasdaq 100 options, with 87,119 contracts traded, and Russell 2000 options, on volume of 1,054. Other equity index products set new July records, including E-mini S&P 500 futures (1,403,094), Nasdaq 100 Index futures (296,944), GSCI futures (82,911), and Russell 2000 futures (25,925).

In other product groups, record volume for any July was set in Euroyen futures at 92,292 and in Euro FX options at 15,207. E-mini Euro FX futures traded an all-time record 3,175 contracts. Launched on July 25, E-mini lean hog futures traded 1,775 contracts, averaging 355 contracts per day in its first week of trading.

Open interest, or the number of contracts outstanding at the end of trading, rose 7.3 percent above the previous month's total and stood at 7.6 million contracts at month's end.