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CBOE Futures Exchange Announces Launch Dates For VIX Futures Extended Trading Hours - First Phase Begins October 21 - Second Phase, October 28

Date 30/09/2013

CBOE Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE®) today announced that the first phase of its extended trading hours initiative for CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX® Index) futures will begin on Monday, October 21, with the second phase to follow on Monday, October 28.
"Volatility traders have eagerly anticipated the expansion of trading hours for our highly successful VIX futures contract, and we are thrilled to begin that rollout in a few weeks," CBOE Holdings Chief Executive Officer Edward T. Tilly said.  "We are pleased to provide our European customers with the opportunity to trade VIX futures during local trading hours, but we also believe our entire global base of VIX users will benefit by extended trading hours."
Phase I
The first phase of the extended trading hours initiative is designed to respond to demand from both U.S. and European customers for a post-settlement trading period by adding a 45-minute trading period to the current trading hours for VIX futures (7:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Chicago time).
  • Fifteen minutes after the 3:15 p.m. (Chicago time) close of VIX futures, the market will reopen for a new trading period from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Chicago time). Trading will then resume at 7:00 a.m. (Chicago time) the following morning.
  • The new 45-minute period, which marks the beginning of the next trading day, will be available from Monday through Thursday.
Phase II
The second phase of the extended trading hours initiative will benefit U.S. and European customers who are seeking longer hours for trading in VIX futures. European-based customers will have the opportunity to trade VIX futures during their local trading hours by beginning the current trading session five hours earlier than its current opening time of 7:00 a.m. (Chicago time).
With both extended trading periods in place, VIX futures trading hours will run from 2:00 a.m. through 3:15 p.m. (Chicago time), Monday through Friday, with the 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Chicago time) trading period available Monday through Thursday.  No trading is scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays in either of the phases.
  • Trading will begin at 2:00 a.m. (Chicago time) (8:00 a.m. GMT).  
  • The new five-hour period, which precedes the current trading hours, will be available from Monday through Friday.
The changes are subject to regulatory review.
On February 1, CFE opened a communications hub outside of London to further expand VIX futures trading from Europe. The Hub, which connects the Equinix facility in Slough, England to the CBOE Command Center at the Equinix facility in New Jersey, provides European firms with an economical choice to connect to the CFE trading system.