CME Group average volume hits 15.8 million contracts per day in February

UNITED STATES March 04 2015 9:08 AM
CHICAGO (Scrap Register): CME Group has announced that February 2015 volume averaged 15.8 million contracts per day, up 13 percent from February 2014 and representing the all-time highest February average daily volume.

Total volume for February 2015 was more than 300 million contracts, of which 87 percent was traded electronically. Options volume in February averaged 2.8 million contracts per day, up 14 percent versus February 2014, with electronic options growing 13 percent over the same period.

CME Group interest rate volume averaged 8.7 million contracts per day in February 2015, up 27 percent compared with February 2014. Eurodollar futures volume averaged 2.8 million contracts per day, up 38 percent from the same period a year ago.

Eurodollar options volume averaged 1.0 million contracts per day, up 47 percent from February last year. Treasury futures volume averaged 4.1 million contracts per day, up 20 percent compared with February 2014. Treasury options volume averaged 656,000 contracts per day, up 3 percent from the same period last year. Overall CME Group interest rate open interest increased 11 percent since year-end 2014.

CME Group foreign exchange (FX) volume averaged 755,000 contracts per day, down 2 percent from February 2014. The average daily notional value of FX contracts traded in February was $78 billion. CME Group equity index volume in February 2014 averaged 2.3 million contracts per day, down 20 percent from the same period a year ago.

CME Group agricultural commodities volume averaged 1.4 million contracts per day in February 2015, down 2 percent compared with the prior-year period.

CME Group energy volume averaged a record 2.4 million contracts per day, up 32 percent from February 2014, including monthly records in WTI crude oil, Brent crude oil, and heating oil. CME Group metals volume averaged 329,000 contracts per day, down 6 percent compared with the prior January.

In February 2015, CME Group cleared $173 billion in average daily notional value of over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate swaps. During the month, OTC interest rate swap open interest increased to $24.8 trillion, which represents 65 percent of clients' total cleared OTC interest rate swap open interest. Average daily trade count for the month was 2,634.