Monthly trading records were also set on the NYMEX ACCESS7 electronic trading system for total Exchange futures; NYMEX Division futures; energy futures; and light, sweet crude oil futures.
Through the end of April, Exchange-wide activity was up 34% compared to the same period a year ago. Markets showing continued strong increases included natural gas options, up 206%; natural gas futures, up 93%; crude oil options, up 77%; silver options, up 53%; heating oil futures, up 17% and crude oil futures, up 17%. Exchange-wide futures and options volume of 12,531,079 contracts broke the monthly record of 11,761,963 futures and options contracts, traded in March 2002. Total Exchange futures volume of 9,757,174 contracts exceeded the previous record of 9,244,167 contracts set in March 1999.
Total Exchange options volume of 2,773,905 contracts broke the previous record of 2,683,070 contracts set in March 2002.
The NYMEX Division futures and options volume of 11,184,840 contracts surpassed the previous record of 10,544,891 contracts traded in March 2002.
Other records included:
- NYMEX Division futures volume which set a record of 8,614,654 contracts, breaking the previous mark of 8,027,632 contracts in March 2002.
- NYMEX Division options volume of 2,570,186 contracts which topped the previous record of 2,517,259 contracts set in March 2002.
- Energy futures and options volume, which reached 11,172,188 contracts, breaking the record of 10,518,868 contracts, set in March 2002.
- Energy futures volume of 8,602,061 contracts which broke the previous monthly record of 8,001,660 contracts set in March 2002.
- Energy options trading which totaled 2,570,127 contracts for the month, exceeding the previous record of 2,517,208 contracts set in March 2002.
- Light, sweet crude oil futures volume of 4,315,328 contracts, surpassing the record 3,790,369 contracts traded in March 2002.
- Natural gas futures volume, which totaled 2,421,726 contracts, breaking the record set in March 2002 of 2,381,105 contracts.
- Light, sweet crude oil options volume of 1,244,174 contracts, exceeding the record 1,043,374 contracts traded in March 2002.
- Consolidated NYMEX ACCESS7 volume of 520,498 futures contracts, breaking the previous record of 418,375 contracts set in March 2002.
- NYMEX Division activity on the system, which totaled 490,613 contracts, surpassing the record 396,791 contracts set in March 2002.
- Energy futures volume traded on NYMEX ACCESS7 which reached 489,954 contracts, exceeding the 396,338-contract record of March 2002.
Exchange President J. Robert Collins, Jr., said, "Along with the record seat sale, also in April, the second consecutive month of record trading volume is a solid indication of the energy industry's appreciation and recognition of the security and financial integrity of the Exchange and its clearinghouse. This extraordinary growth of activity in our traditional markets bodes exceedingly well for our planned introduction of expanded services."
