The NYMEX ACCESS7 electronic trading session for each of those contracts will be extended to run from 4 PM, Mondays through Thursdays, to 9 AM the following day. On Sundays, the session will begin at 7 PM and run until 9 AM on Monday. Currently, the sessions for light, sweet crude oil; heating oil; and gasoline begin at the same times, but close at 8 AM. Natural gas futures and options are traded from 4 PM to 7 PM, Mondays through Thursdays, with no Sunday night session.
In addition, the opening of the open outcry session for natural gas futures and options, which occurs at 10 AM, will be moved to 9:45 AM.
No implementation date has been set for these changes, pending a determination of systems issues.
Exchange President R. Patrick Thompson said, "These changes will reinforce our competitive position by increasing the availability of our premium risk management tools during the critical morning hours."
