Following the trend, total futures volume reached a record 2,746,234 contracts during the 2000/01 crop year, well surpassing the previous annual record of 2,294,590 contracts set in the 1999/00 crop year.
Monthly total futures pit trade volume reached 190,033 contracts, 76.3% ahead of the year-ago pace.
Activity in canola futures monthly volume for July 2001 reached 153,952 contracts, this was 94.7% higher than the 79,071 contracts established in the same month one year earlier. Nov 01 canola futures volume also reached a daily pit trade volume record of 12,314 contracts on July 12, 2001, surpassing the previous mark of 10,255 contracts established in the Nov 01 contract on July 9, 2001. Open interest in canola futures also witnessed higher levels, up 55.7% from a year ago as of July 31, 2001 at 70,542 contracts. WCE's premier canola futures contract set an annual volume record of its own with a total of 2,237,928 contracts traded, well ahead of the previous record of 1,819,327 contracts set during the 1999/00 crop year.
Western barley futures pit trade for the month rose 31.8%, to 20,070 contracts compared to 15,230 contracts in July 2000. Increases were also witnessed in open interest levels in western barley futures as of July 31, 2001, which were 18.6% higher than the same date in 2000.
Canola options volume reached a new crop-year level of 97,301 contracts. The previous record was set in the 1995/96 crop year at 73,244 contracts. As well, western barley options volume set a new record with 6,535 contacts traded during the 2000/01 crop year, well ahead of the previous record set in 1999/00 at 5,605 contracts.
Total options trade witnessed record crop-year volume levels with canola and western barley setting new volume records. Total options volume for the 2000/01 crop year reached 108,097 contracts, this is well ahead of the previous crop-year record attained in 1993/94 of 79,899 contracts. As well total options volume reached a daily record of 3,465 contracts traded on July 11, 2001, compared to previous record of 3,036 contracts attained on June 15, 1999.
