Eurex Turnover Up 21 Percent Year-On-Year - 104 Million Contracts Changed Hands On The World’s Largest Derivatives Market In April - Year To Date Turnover Rises To New Record Of 416 Million Contracts

The international derivatives market Eurex traded and cleared 104 million contracts in April, 21 percent more contracts than in the same month last year (April 2004: 86 million contracts). Eurex continues to achieve record growth. An average of 5 million contracts were traded each day in April.

Equity based derivatives were the strongest segment at Eurex, with around 54.5 million contracts traded; 26.8 million of these based on equity index derivatives and 27.7 million on equity options. Eurex enjoyed particular success in trading with Dutch and German equity options. In April, the derivatives market set a new record of 1.6 million contracts in Dutch equity options. The previous record from February 2005 was 1.1 million contracts. The April trading volume represents a rise of 180 percent compared to April 2004 (approximately 570,000 contracts). German equity options also set a new record of approximately 18 million contracts, breaking the previous record of 14 million contracts, set in January 2004. This figure represents a rise of 40 percent compared to April 2004 (12.9 million contracts).

Around 50 million contracts were traded in the Fixed Income Derivatives segment, a rise of 11 percent year-on-year. The Euro-Bund Future remained the most successful product at Eurex with 22 million contracts, an increase of 23 percent year-on-year (April 2004: 18 million contracts). Approximately 11 million contracts were traded in the Euro-Bobl Future. 10 million contracts were traded in the Euro-Schatz Future, a rise of 8,5 percent year-on-year. Furthermore, Open Interest in the Euro-Schatz Future exceeded one million contracts for the first time. Open Interest in the Euro-Bobl Future stands at over million contracts and is also at record levels. Open Interest, i.e. the number of open positions, is regarded as an important indicator for the future performance of a contract.

Approximately € 9 billion (single counting) was traded in April on the electronic trading platform Eurex Bonds, which rounds out Eurex’s fixed-income product range. Eurex Bonds' "Jumbo Pfandbriefe" segment recorded monthly trading volume of approximately € 2 billion, a rise of over 100 percent year on year. Trading volume in the "European Covered Bonds" segment, introduced in November 2004, rose 127 percent on the previous month's figures to € 331 million in April (March 2005: € 146 million).