SGX Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Nikkei 225 Futures

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) today announced strong growth in its SGX Nikkei 225 Index futures contract as it celebrates the 20th year of trading on SGX with tomorrow's launch of a similar US-dollar denominated contract.

Total volume for SGX Nikkei 225 Index futures from January to October 2006 registered at 15,387,162 million contracts, making it the most active futures contract traded on SGX. This represents approximately 50% of the total futures and options volume traded on SGX.

The Nikkei 225 futures contract was pioneered by Singapore International Monetary Exchange on 3 September 1986 as the world's first Japanese stock index futures. Since its inception, the contract has seen several highs, most recently in June 2006 when a new monthly record of 3.9 million contracts was achieved. One of the key milestones for the contract was the migration from floor to electronic trading which has driven trading volume over the past two years.

Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, SGX CEO said, "The success of SGX Nikkei futures contract has paved the way for the development of the Asian derivatives market, and continues to be very popular after 20 years."

Mr Ryoki Sugita, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. (NKS), said, "The SGX Nikkei 225 contract has shown tremendous growth over the last 2 decades and NKS is proud to be part of the partnership with SGX. The success of this contract can be attributed to the efforts of SGX in increasing the value of its marketplace through technological and innovative product enhancements. We are also glad to see that the new product, US Dollar based contract, is added in the year of the 20th anniversary. We wish to congratulate SGX for its commendable performance and are confident that the strong partnership between NKS and SGX will continue in the years to come."