Eurex: Second Strongest Trading Month On Eurex With 153 Million Contracts - Volume In First Six Months Of 2006 Reaches 824 Million Contracts, Up 29 Percent On 2005 - DJ EURO STOXX 50 Future Overtakes Bund-Future As Most Heavily Traded Contract On Eurex

Eurex, the world's largest derivatives exchange, reported on Monday that June was the second strongest trading month on Eurex ever. A total of 153 million contracts were traded on Eurex in June, an increase of 22 percent on the previous year (June 2005: 126 million contracts) and the heaviest trading month after the record month of May 2006 (174 million contracts). Trading volumes in the first six months of the year have reached 824, an increase of 29 percent on the same period in 2005. Average daily trading volume at Eurex currently stands at approximately 7 million contracts.

In June, the equity-based derivatives segment was the strongest segment at Eurex, with 86 million contracts traded, an increase of 67 percent on the previous year. Of these, a record 60.4 million contracts were based on equity index derivatives and a further 25.6 million on equity derivatives (equity options and single stock futures). For the first time, the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 index future was the most heavily traded product at Eurex with 29.8 million contracts, an increase of 110 percent on the previous year. New monthly volume records were also set in the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 option (16.5 million contracts, up 120 percent on the previous year) and the future on the German benchmark index DAX (4.7 million contracts, up 60 percent on June 2005).

A total of 67.1 million contracts were traded in the fixed income derivatives segment, compared to 74.4 million contracts in June 2005. Approximately 29.2 million contracts were traded in the Euro-Bund Future, 16.2 million contracts were traded in the Euro-Bobl Future, and 15.1 million contracts were traded in the Euro-Schatz Future.

Approximately € 12.9 billion (single counting) was traded in June on the electronic trading platform Eurex Bonds, which rounds out Eurex's fixed-income product range. This represent an increase of 8 percent on the previous month (May 2006: €11.95 billion).