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Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc. ("WCE") total volume of trade for December 2006 is the highest on record for the month of December. There was a total of 302,443 futures and options contracts traded during the month, representing increases of 39.5% from last month and 10.7% from December 2005.
This is the 19th consecutive month of increased total volume when compared to the same month of the previous year.
Trade in canola futures contracts during December rose 12.8% from a year ago to 291,994 contracts. This also generated an all-time record for canola futures contract volume on a calendar year basis, with 2,607,354 canola futures contracts being traded during 2006. The previous calendar year volume for canola futures contracts was set in 2001 when 2,401,479 contracts were traded.
Volume of trade during December 2006 in western barley futures contracts rose 64.1% from a year ago to 6,484 contracts.
There were 727 feed wheat futures contracts traded during the month.
Trade in options contracts during December 2006 totaled 3,238 contracts (2,704 canola options contracts and 534 western barley options contracts).
Crop year-to-date total volume (since August 1, 2006) was 1,265,236 at the end of December 2006, representing an increase of 31.4% from the crop year-to-date volume of a year ago.
At the end of December 2006 total open interest stood at 126,226 contracts which is 16.3% over the level of total open interest at the end of December 2005. Canola futures contract open interest reached a record level on December 13, 2006 at 109,543 contracts. Western barley futures contract open interest posted a record on December 27, 2006 at 25,160 contracts.
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.
