Eurex Turns Over 52.3 Million Contracts In August - Record Trading Volumes In Option On Schatz And Deutsche Telekom - Equity Index Derivatives Segment Increases 120 Percent

Eurex, the international derivatives market, traded and cleared 52.3 million contracts in August, a 55 percent increase in volume against the same month of last year. Eurex is thus continuing its favorable trend in business this year in the month of August as well. Eurex has already turned over 424 million contracts during the first eight months of 2001, representing an increase of more than 40 percent over the same period of last year.

Capital market products were again the highest-volume segment in August, with more than 31 million contracts traded, exceeding the August 2000 volume by 49 percent. The capital market products at Eurex were also the world's most successful exchange-traded derivatives family for another month in a row: The most active contract in this segment and at Eurex as a whole was the Euro Bund future with 13.4 million contracts traded, about 20 percent above the August 2000 figure. The Euro Bobl future increased 74 percent against the August 2000 level to 7.6 million contracts traded, and volume in the Euro Schatz future doubled to about 6.8 million contracts traded. Turnover in the options on Schatz and Bobl rose 450 percent and 82 percent, respectively, compared with the volumes posted in August 2000.

About 21 million contracts were traded in equity-based derivatives in August. The total comprises 11.2 million contracts in the equity index derivatives segment, increasing 120 percent against the August 2000 figure, and some 9.7 million contracts in the stock options segment, a 30 percent increase. In the equity index derivatives, options on the DAX, with 31 percent growth in volume and some 4.3 million contracts traded, topped the futures on the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 index, in which 2.8 million contracts were traded, about double the number traded in August 2000 and the third-highest monthly turnover in these futures to date. The option on the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 achieved its second-highest monthly volume in August with 1.9 million contracts traded, a 170 percent increase over the August 2000 figure. Eurex has turned over about 75 million contracts in the equity index products segment this year, 62 percent ahead of the total for the same period of last year. In the stock options segment, a new record was set in the option on Deutsche Telekom in August with some 2.3 million contracts traded, a 135 percent increase over the number posted in August last year. Eurex is continuing to expand its position in this segment as the leading platform for international equity derivatives. As of September 24, Eurex will also be offering options on 10 U.S. equities as well as four options on Dow Jones Euro STOXX SM sector indexes.