Futures & Options On RTS Stock Exchange: December Monthly Data

In December 2002, 48,6 thousand trades were executed on FORTS (Futures &Options on RTS). Trading volume reached 2.07 contracts or 9,5 billion rubles in underlying value. The month of November showed 2.47 million contracts and 10.2 billion rubles in underlying value. Total open interest as of December 31, 2002, stood at 292 thousand contracts or 1 191 million rubles in underlying value, compared to 311 thousand contracts and 1 251 million rubles at the end of November.

FORTS participants executed 47 thousand trades in futures contracts, down from the last month's 51,5 thousand. Futures contracts trading volume reached 2 014 thousand contracts, and total underlying value equaled 9 005 million rubles.

In options 1 736 trades were executed, down from 2 066 trades in November. Total trading volume in December reached 55 thousand contracts with 219 million rubles in underlying value, an increase over the November's 65 thousand contracts and 237 million rubles.

FORTS, a unified derivatives market operating since September 19, 2001, is based on trading and settlement technologies and software that were implemented at and have been successfully used by St. Petersburg Stock Exchange for 7 years. RTS acts as the trading system and the clearinghouse on the integrated market. 82 companies headquartered in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan and Abakan are FORTS registered members. They trade 7 futures contracts and 2 options.