A total of 259,037 contracts were traded during February 2006. This level of activity is 19.2% higher than last month.
Trade in canola futures totaled 240,070 contracts, representing an increase of 15.9% from a year ago and 23% from a month ago. Feed wheat futures volume was 8,126 contracts which is a rise of 73% from the level recorded in January 2006, but slightly lower than that of a year ago.
There were 9,238 western barley futures contracts traded during February 2006.
During February there were 1,603 canola options contracts traded.
Crop year-to-date futures contract volume is up 19.7% from the same period a year ago at 1,417,875 contracts. Crop year-to-date options contract volume is 86.5% higher than last year at 21,100 contracts. Total volume for the crop year-to-date is 1,438,975 contracts which is 20.3% higher than a year ago.
At the end of February 2006 open interest in futures contracts stood at 104,260 contracts, marking a 20.8% increase from the end of February 2005. Open interest in options contracts was 10,544, up 251.2% from a year ago. Total open interest was 114,804 contracts at the end of the month which is 28.6% over that of last year.
The highest level of open interest in a May canola futures contract was reached on February 27, 2006 when open interest in the May 2006 canola futures contract was 54,854 contracts.
Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc., established in 1887, has been facilitating futures contract trading since 1904. WCE is Canada's only agricultural futures and options exchange and North America's first fully electronic commodity exchange.
