KCBT Exchange, Wheat Futures, Wheat Options Set New Monthly Records

The Kansas City Board of Trade saw a large increase in trading volume during the month of April. Several new monthly records were set as a result. The exchange as a whole set a new monthly record for April as 277,205 contracts traded, breaking the previous record of 242,115, which was set in 1997, by 14.5 percent.

Wheat futures also set a new monthly record for April by trading 241,612 contracts. This broke the previous record of 216,816 set last year by 11.4 percent. April volume also showed a 77.6 percent increase when compared to March 2002.

Wheat options volume broke the previous April monthly record of 20,261, also set last year, by 69.3 percent. Year-to-date, wheat options volume is ahead of this time last year by 52.2 percent and last year was an annual record for the wheat options contract.

Open interest in the wheat options contract is posting a 45.7 percent increase over this time last year, while the Value Line® futures contract is showing a 61.1 percent increase in open interest when compared to the end of April 2001.

The Kansas City Board of Trade, chartered in 1876, is the world's largest futures market for hard red winter wheat.