Futures & Options On RTS Stock Exchange: Market Data

For the week of July 7th- July 11th, 2003, daily average trading volume on FORTS (Futures & Options on RTS) grew by 7% in contracts and 9% in rubles and reached 757 thousand contracts, or 5 415 million rubles. The number of transactions increased 9% and reached 17 905. Total open interest as of July 11th, 2003, stood at 454 thousand contracts or 3 175 million rubles in underlying value, compared with 332 thousand contracts and 2 400 million rubles as of July 4th, 2003.

Futures contracts traded 17 318 times, 8% up on last week's 15 983 times. Futures total trading volume reached 705 thousand contracts, or 5 012 million rubles in underlying value, the 8% and 6% increase, accordingly, over the previous week's 665 thousand and 4 651 thousand contracts.

FORTS options trading volume equaled 52 thousand contracts or 402 million rubles in underlying value, compared with 44 thousand contracts and 402 million rubles the week before. Options traded 587 times, 11% up on previous week's 528 times.

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. 84 companies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan and Abakan FORTS participants trade 7 futures contracts and 2 options.