KCBT volume traded in June transcends all previous monthly records

During the month of June, volume traded at the Kansas City Board of Trade surpassed all previous monthly records. June volume of 309,539 contracts was the largest since the KCBT's inception over 120 years ago. This was an 8 percent increase over the previous record of 285,994 contracts, set in June 1998. Concerns about the state of the hard red winter wheat crop in light of wet conditions that have been slowing and/or delaying harvest in Kansas led to a spate of hedging activity. Wheat futures trading volume led the way as a new monthly volume record of 286,177 contracts or 1.431 billion bushels shattered the previous record of 253,452 contracts or 1.267 billion bushels, set last June. Wheat options volume achieved a new June record of 16,168 contracts, breaking the record set in June 1997 by 1,663 contracts or 11 percent. Wheat futures open interest set new records this month, the last of which was 72,656 contracts. This breaks the previous record of 69,248 contracts, set on August 18, 1998.