Open interest in CME's interest rate products comprised the bulk of the open interest on Dec. 11, with a record 16,583,837 open positions, including a record 11,598,619 interest rate options. Eurodollar options rose to a record 11,598,128 open positions.
The previous record open interest records were set on Dec. 10 at 18,745,499 positions exchange-wide, 16,530,926 for interest rate products; 11,536,901 for interest rate options; and 11,536,420 Eurodollar options.
Open interest is the number of futures and options on futures contracts outstanding at the close of trading each day. Open interest can be seen as a measure of the use of risk management instruments by institutions and individuals with a long-term stake in the markets, as well as the liquidity of a contract.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (www.cme.com) is an international marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers on its trading floors and GLOBEX® around-the-clock electronic trading system. CME offers futures contracts and options on futures primarily in four product areas: interest rates, stock indexes, foreign exchange and commodities. The exchange moves about $1.5 billion per day in settlement payments and manages $30.1 billion in collateral deposits. CME is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc.
