Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc. March Volume 60% Higher Than A Year Ago

Total volume of trade at Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc. during March 2004 posted a 61.1% increase from the same month a year ago with 204,038 futures and options contracts traded.

Futures contract volume during March rose 60.1% from last year at 201,999 contracts traded. Canola futures volume was boosted by 63.8% from the level of a year ago with 178,516 contracts traded. Feed wheat trade posted gains of 187.8% from last March at 10,684 contracts. Western barley trade for March 2004 was slightly lower than that of a year ago with 12,784 futures contracts being traded.

Options volume marked a significant increase from last year with 2,039 contracts traded in March (1,739 canola options and 300 Western Barley options).

Crop year-to-date volume for futures and options totaled 1,386,511 contracts at the end of March, representing an increase of 3.9% from the same date a year ago. Futures volume for the 2003/04 crop year stood at 1,356,055 contracts at the end of the month, indicating an increase of 2.8% from last year. Options volume for the crop year-to-date was 30,456 contracts, which is an increase of 86% from last year.

At the end of March total open interest was 35.8% higher than as of March 31, 2003 with 99,024 futures and options contracts outstanding.