The NYMEX Division options trading volume of 1,792,637 contracts surpassed the previous monthly record of 1,625,793 options traded in October of this year. The record prior to October was 1,524,477 contracts traded in September 2000.
November also set a record for energy options with volume of 1,792,592 contracts, compared to 1,625,754 energy options traded in October. The volume record prior to that was also set in September 2000 when 1,524,414 contracts were traded.
Copper futures trading totaled 337,589 contracts, surpassing the previous monthly record of 319,157 futures traded in June 1999.
Exchange President J. Robert Collins, Jr., said, "These monthly trading records demonstrate the confidence of the marketplace in the Exchange's markets. The growth in the options contracts, as illustrated by back-to-back volume records, indicates the importance that market participants place on these versatile instruments, and the record copper volume shows that the futures contract is regarded as a vital source of price discovery and risk management for the North American copper market."
