Open interest for equity and index derivatives stood at 38,917,561 lots at month end, an all-time high due largely to the record open interest for short- and long-term equity options: 29.3 million lots on February 28. Vigorous demand for equity options also fueled a record high in long-term options, with 1,941,923 traded.
In fixed-income derivatives, 3.33 million Euro Notional futures were traded, a rise of 8% on January, with open interest up a strong 130%.
In commodities, despite a retreat in overall trading in February, maize futures turned in their second strongest performance since their launch in October 1999, with daily trade volume averaging 279 contracts. Open interest for the rapeseed future was its second highest ever at 2,866 lots.
