CME’s eFX volume represented 60 percent of total FX trading volume of 364,187 contracts and total notional value of $43 billion. During the session, trading was strong in several key currency futures contracts, with CME’s Swiss Franc futures and newly listed Polish Zloty futures setting new individual volume records of 17,066 and 120 contracts, respectively.
Through the end of August, trading in CME’s eFX market has more than doubled from last year and is up 120%, and trading in its FX complex is up 59% from last year. CME’s FX futures market provides users with liquid, transparent markets, guaranteed execution and central counterparty clearing risk management on 36 individual FX futures and 15 options on futures products. In 2003, more than 34 million FX contracts with a notional value of over $3.7 trillion were traded at CME.
CME recently launched an upgraded version of its FX E-quivalentssm http://www.cme.com/e-quivalentsa Web-based application that displays real-time CME FX futures prices in spot equivalent terms, making CME FX futures markets more accessible to traders accustomed to trading FX spot markets.
In addition, CME also set a record for Milk Class III Options traded with volume of 4,517 contracts. CME launched milk futures in 1996 as part of a larger complex of dairy products that includes futures and options on futures for butter and nonfat dry milk as well as spot markets for cheese and butter.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (www.cme.com) is the largest futures exchange in the United States. As an international marketplace, CME brings together buyers and sellers on its trading floors and GLOBEX® 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 moved about $1.6 billion per day in settlement payments in the first half of 2004 and managed $39.1 billion in collateral deposits as of June 30, 2004. CME is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CME), which is part of the Russell 1000® Index.
Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which can be obtained at its Web site atwww.sec.gov. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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