Friday's record exceeded the prior record for electronically traded CME Eurodollar options of 148,330, which was set on Sept. 22, 2005, which represented 16.5 percent of the total CME Eurodollar options volume traded that day.
In 2005 CME Eurodollar options reached an average daily volume of 746,000 options traded, up more than 50 percent from 2004 when average daily CME Eurodollar options volume was 516,000 contracts. Year to date, average daily volume in CME Eurodollar options is 900,000.
In February, CME will be launching new enhancements to its platform, including enhanced market maker protections, top-order functionality and automated Request for Cross, which will allow greater liquidity and transparency in its electronic Eurodollar options market.
Two other CME options records were set last Friday. CME E-mini(TM) Russell 2000(R) options hit a new one-day high of 5,388 options traded. CME Euro FX options with European-style expiration set a new volume record of 2,311 options reflecting a notional value of $350 million. Both options began trading in 2005.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. ( http://www.cme.com ) is the world's largest and most diverse financial exchange. As an international marketplace, CME brings together buyers and sellers on CME Globex electronic trading platform and on its trading floors. CME offers futures and options on futures primarily in four product areas: interest rates, stock indexes, foreign exchange and commodities. The exchange moved about $1.4 billion per day in settlement payments in the first three quarters of 2005 and managed $43.8 billion in collateral deposits at September 30, 2005, including $3.8 billion in deposits for non-CME products. CME is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: CME), which is part of the Russell 1000(R) Index.
