RTS FORTS: April Monthly Data

In April 2003, trading volume on FORTS (Futures & Options on the RTS) reached the record 3 056 thousand contracts or 14 643 million rubles in underlying value. In March these figures equaled 2 478 thousand contracts and 11 157 million rubles in underlying value. Total open interest as of April 30th, 2003, stood at 463 thousand contracts or 2 264 million rubles in underlying value, up 59% on 1 423 million rubles and 44% on 463 thousand contracts at the end of March.

FORTS participants executed 72 thousand trades in futures contracts, up 23% from 61 thousand contracts in March. Futures contracts trading volume reached 2 979 thousand contracts, and total underlying value equaled 14 311 million rubles.

In options daily average trading activity grew by 34%, from 1 989 trades in March to 2 673 trades in April.. Total trading volume in April reached 77 thousand contracts with 332 million rubles in underlying value, a significant increase over March's 50 thousand contracts and 218 million rubles.

FORTS, a unified derivatives market operating since September 19, 2001, is based on trading and settlement technologies and software that were implemented at and have been successfully used by St. Petersburg Stock Exchange for 7 years. RTS acts as the trading system and the clearinghouse on the integrated market. 83 companies headquartered in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan and Abakan are FORTS registered members. They trade 7 futures contracts and 2 options.