CME Group posts record metals volume during fourth quarter

NEW YORK (Scrap Register): CME Group reports record metals volume occurred during the fourth quarter. An average of 488,000 metals contracts traded each business day in the October-December period, a year-on-year rise of 49% from 326,000 in the same period of 2015.
Gold futures and options average daily volume (ADV) rose 51% from the prior year to 279,000 contracts, while silver futures and options ADV jumped 45% to 80,000 contracts. 
For all of 2016, average metals volume was a record 460,000 contracts, a 34% jump from 345,000 the year before. December metals volume averaged 359,000 contracts daily, which was below the quarterly average but nevertheless still represented a 36% year-on-year gain from 264,000 in December 2015. 
Volume in all CME Group markets averaged annual record daily volume of 15.6 million contracts in 2016, up 12% from 2015. 
Besides metals, record annual averages were also hit in markets for interest rates, energy, agricultural commodities, total options and electronic options. Total fourth-quarter volume averaged 16.3 million contracts per day, up 24% year-on-year.