In the equity-based products, Eurex volume increased by about 28 percent, to more than 447 million contracts traded, compared with 350 million contracts in 2002. The index products segment showed 24 percent growth. The future on the DJ Euro-STOXX 50 was the strongest in this segment, with 115 million contracts traded. The equity options segment turned over 186 million contracts, increasing by about 30 percent. The strongest product is the option on Allianz, with 25 million contracts traded. The development in the Dutch and French option segments has been especially favorable. With 6.8 million options on Dutch equities and 1.5 million options on French equities traded and cleared in 2003, Eurex achieved growth of 152 percent and 500 percent, respectively, in these segments, year on year.
In the fixed-income segment, the capital market products are the most successful segment with some 565 million contracts traded (previous year: 447 million contracts, up 26 percent). The highest-turnover product was the Euro-Bund future with volume of some 246 million contracts, increasing 28 percent over the previous year's figure (191 million contracts). It topped the Euro-Bobl future, in which some 150 million contracts were traded (previous year: 115 million contracts, up 32 percent) and the Euro-Schatz future with 118 million contracts (previous year: 108 million contracts, up 9 percent).
Eurex Bonds and Eurex Repo, the two trading platforms that round out the Eurex offerings in the fixed-income segment, reported high growth rates in 2003. Eurex Bonds turned over some 183 billion euros in volume (single counting) in 2003, as compared with 136 million euros in 2002, which corresponds to growth of 35 percent. Eurex Repo is continuing to grow in 2003 as well, at a rate of some 35 percent against the previous year. About 150 participants have raised the outstanding volume to 50 billion euros.
