Fiscal Year 1999 A Record Breaker at CBOE, Fiscal Year 2000 Starts With A Bang

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) on July 7 announced that fiscal year 1999 was a record setting volume year, punctuated by new highs in total option volume, stock option volume, average daily volume and open interest levels. Exchange-wide trading volume in FY 1999 soared to a record 221,256,576 contracts, an increase of 12.7% over the previous fiscal-year record of 196,304,017 contracts set in 1998. CBOE also established a new record for monthly volume in FY 1999 when April's volume totaled 21,465,249 contracts, breaking the previous monthly record of 20,340,719 contracts set in October 1997. A new average daily volume record of 878,002 contracts was also established in FY 1999, demonstrating that investors consistently found deep, liquid markets at CBOE. A milestone was reached in January, 1999 when average daily volume for the month topped one million contracts for the first time ever, standing at 1,024,580 contracts. An all-time record high in stock option trading drove CBOE's overall volume gains in FY 1999. A record 157,635,456 stock option contracts changed hands during the year -an increase of 21.7% over the previous fiscal year record which was set in 1998. A single day volume record was set on April 16, 1999 at the CBOE when 1,225,071 stock option contracts traded, breaking the previous record which had been set on January 15, 1999 when 1,142,521 stock options traded. Total open interest continued to set new records month after month, closing the fiscal year with a new month-end record. Open interest stood at 23,669,551 contracts at the close of June, 1999, a 29% increase over year-ago June levels. A single day total open interest record was set on June 18, 1999, when open interest stood at 25,805,955 contracts. CBOE, the world's largest options marketplace and the creator of listed options is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For additional information about the CBOE and its products, visit the new CBOE website at http://www.cboe.com.