Monthly trading records were also set on the NYMEX ACCESS® electronic trading system for total Exchange futures; NYMEX Division futures; energy futures; and light, sweet crude oil and natural gas futures.
At the end of the first quarter, Exchange-wide activity was up 34% over the first quarter of last year. Markets showing the strongest increases included natural gas options, up 212%; natural gas futures, up 92%; crude oil options, up 64%; silver options, up 47%; heating oil futures, up 20% and crude oil futures, up 15%.
Exchange-wide futures and options volume of 11,761,963 contracts broke the monthly record of 10,667,587 futures and options contracts, traded in January 2002.
The NYMEX Division futures and options volume of 10,544,891 contracts surpassed the previous record of 9,195,222 contracts also traded in January 2002.
Other records included:
- NYMEX Division futures volume which set a record of 8,027,632 contracts, breaking the previous mark of 7,504,566 contracts in March 1999.
- NYMEX Division options volume of 2,517,259 contracts which topped the previous record of 1,961,271 contracts set in January 2002.
- Energy futures and options volume, which reached 10,518,868 contracts, breaking the record of 9,181,056 contracts set in January 2002.
- Energy futures volume of 8,001,660 contracts which broke the previous monthly record of 7,432,134 contracts set in March 1999.
- Energy options trading which totaled 2,517,208 contracts for the month, exceeding the previous record of 1,961,228 contracts set in January 2002.
- Light, sweet crude oil futures volume of 3,790,369 contracts, surpassing the record 3,767,705 contracts traded in March 1999.
- Natural gas futures volume, which totaled 2,381,105 contracts, breaking the record set in September 1999 of 1,978,582 contracts.
- Light, sweet crude oil options volume of 1,043,374 contracts, exceeding the record 996,657 contracts traded in January 2002.
- Natural gas options volume which totaled 1,322,161 contracts, smashing the previous record of 859,522 options contracts traded in January 2002.
- Consolidated NYMEX ACCESS® volume of 418,375 futures contracts, breaking the previous record of 325,644 contracts set in November 2001.
- NYMEX Division activity on the system, which totaled 396,791 contracts, surpassing the record 312,130 contracts set in November 2001.
- Energy futures volume traded on NYMEX ACCESS® which reached 396,338 contracts, exceeding the 311,788-contract record of November 2001.
- Light, sweet crude oil futures volume on NYMEX ACCESS® of 225,163 contracts, which topped the prior record of 198,505 set in November 2001.
- Natural gas volume on NYMEX ACCESS® which was a record 128,314 contracts, breaking the previous mark of 106,334 contracts set in September 1999.
