CME Group Averaged 15.9 Million Contracts Per Day In August 2018, Up 18% From July 2018

CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, reached average daily volume (ADV) of 15.9 million contracts during August 2018, in line with August 2017 and up 18 percent from the prior month. Open interest increased 3 percent from the end of August 2017 and 13 percent from year-end 2017, respectively, to 122 million contracts. Open interest represents the total number of outstanding positions held by participants across all CME Group markets at the end of August 2018.

Interest Rate volume averaged 8.6 million contracts per day in August 2018, up 11 percent from August 2017. Highlights include:

• U.S. Treasury futures and options ADV grew 18 percent to 5.6 million contracts
• Eurodollar options ADV increased 4 percent to 1 million contracts
• Ultra U.S. Treasury Bond futures and options ADV rose 31 percent to 248,000 contracts
• Ultra 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures and options ADV increased 44 percent to 209,000 contracts
• Fed Fund futures ADV rose 18 percent to 159,000 contracts

Foreign Exchange volume averaged 883,000 contracts per day in August 2018, up 8 percent from August 2017. Highlights include:

• British pound futures and options ADV increased 11 percent to 114,000 contracts
• Australian dollar futures and options ADV grew 17 percent to 112,000 contracts
• Mexican peso futures and options ADV increased 65 percent to 58,000 contracts
• Brazilian real futures and options ADV increased 78 percent to 7,800 contracts

Agricultural volume averaged 1.4 million contracts per day in August 2018, up 3 percent from August 2017. Highlights include:

• Wheat futures and options ADV rose 28 percent to 227,000 contracts
• Livestock futures ADV grew 15 percent to 125,000 contracts
• Hard Red Winter Wheat futures and options ADV grew 21 percent to 79,000 contracts
• Lean Hog futures and options ADV increased 31 percent to 74,000 contracts

Metals volume averaged 626,000 contracts per day in August 2018, up 1 percent from August 2017. Highlights include: 

• Copper futures and options ADV increased 16 percent to 149,000 contracts
• Gold options ADV grew 29 percent to 57,000 contracts

Options volume averaged 3.2 million contracts per day in August 2018, flat from August 2017. Highlights include:

• Interest Rate options ADV increased 6 percent to 1.9 million contracts
• Agricultural options ADV grew 6 percent to 270,000 contracts
• Metals options ADV rose 27 percent to 68,000 contracts

Equity Index volume averaged 2.4 million contracts per day in August 2018, down 12 percent from August 2017. Highlights include:

• E-mini NASDAQ 100 futures ADV grew 1 percent to 330,000 contracts
• E-mini Dow futures and options ADV increased 5 percent to 130,000 contracts
• E-mini S&P 500 Wednesday Weekly futures and options ADV increased 7 percent to 41,000 contracts and Monday Weekly futures and options ADV rose 11 percent to 38,000 contracts

Energy volume averaged 1.9 million contracts per day in August 2018, down 30 percent from August 2017. Highlights include:

• Electronic Natural Gas futures and options ADV grew 5 percent to 419,000 contracts
• Henry Hub Natural Gas futures ADV increased 2 percent to 395,000 contracts
• Henry Hub Natural Gas futures open interest reached a record 1.62 million contracts on August 31. Nine of the top ten record open interest days in Natural Gas futures occurred during the month of August

Footnote: To see CME Group daily over-the-counter (OTC) notional cleared volumes and open interest, monthly OTC notional cleared volumes and monthly total trade count, go to http://www.cmegroup.com/education/cme-volume-oi-records.html