Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Volume For 2006/07 Crop Year Sets Record

Total volume of trade on Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc. ("WCE") for the 2006/07 crop year (August 1/06 through July 31/07) set an all-time record at 3,183,573 futures and options contracts. This level of trade is 22.7% higher than a year ago and surpasses the previous record of 3,098,918 contracts set in the 2000/01 crop year.

Canola futures volume for the crop year was up 22.5% at 2,874,623 contracts, setting a crop year record for that commodity.

Western barley futures trade rose 55.8% from a year ago to 221,628 contracts. This is the highest crop year volume of trade for western barley futures contracts since the 2000/01 crop year.

There were 63,139 feed wheat futures contracts traded during the 2006/07 crop year.

Options volume for the crop year totaled 18,379 canola options and 5,804 western barley options.

Total trade for the month of July 2007 was up 28.1% from last year at 175,371 futures and options contracts.

Options volume of trade rose significantly from a year ago to 1,477 contracts, representing an increase of 119.1%. There were 1,417 canola options and 60 western barley options traded during the month.

Canola futures contract volume for the month rose 24.3% from last year to 160,846 contracts. Western barley futures contract volume during the month soared 159.7% over a year ago to 11,151 contracts. Feed wheat futures volume was 1,897 contracts.

At the end of July open interest in futures contracts was up 41.03% from a year ago at 136,462. Open interest in options contracts stood at 3,628 which is an increase of 118.7% from a year ago.

Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc., established in 1887, has been facilitating futures contract trading since 1904. WCE is Canada's only agricultural futures and options exchange and North America's first fully electronic commodity exchange. WCE offers futures and options contracts on canola, domestic feed wheat, and western barley.