CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced it will expand its suite of Nikkei 225 futures contracts with the addition of yen- and U.S. dollar-denominated Micro Nikkei futures on October 28, pending regulatory review.
Sized at 50 yen and $0.50, respectively, these new micro-sized contracts will allow traders to capture Japanese benchmark trading opportunities with greater precision and will add to CME Group's existing suite of standard and E-mini Nikkei contracts.
"The addition of micro-sized yen- and U.S. dollar-denominated Nikkei futures contracts will allow global market participants to gain efficient access to the broader Japanese stock market, while also mitigating FX exposure and allowing more granular trading capabilities," said Paul Woolman, Global Head of Equity Index Products at CME Group. "Year-to-date, nearly 75% of trades in our Nikkei futures occurred outside of Tokyo cash hours, underscoring the need for around-the-clock liquidity for global market participants to manage their equity risk. Similar to their larger parent contacts, the smaller size futures contracts will also offer greater potential capital and margin efficiency."
Micro Nikkei futures will join CME Group's growing suite of micro equity futures contracts, which have traded more than 2.9 billion contracts to date. The launch of Micro Nikkei futures also marks 20 years since the listing of the first Nikkei futures contracts on CME Globex in 2004. Recent trading highlights include:
- 220 million cumulative Nikkei futures contracts traded since 2004
- Year-to-date average daily volume of 41,000 contracts, up 9% year-over-year
- Year-to-date open interest of 67,000 contracts, up 2% year-over-year
For more information on these products, please visit www.cmegroup.com/micronikkei.
