By Everdeen Mason
CME Group Inc.'s (CME) November daily trading volume rose 9% as
a significant rise in interest-rate and futures contract volumes
offset a drop in equity index and metals volume.
Exchanges such as CME, the parent company of the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange, are seeing an increase in business this year
from handling swap trades, which lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe
targeted for stricter regulation after some privately traded
derivatives markets, such as for credit default swaps, were blamed
for deepening the 2008 financial crisis.
On average, 12.1 million contracts were traded daily in
November. A total of 241 million contracts were traded in November,
with 87% traded electronically.
Interest-rate volume averaged 6 million contracts a day, up 32%
from last November. CME runs the leading franchise in U.S.
interest-rate futures and has long been seen as one natural place
for traders to clear swap contracts linked to similar rates.
Equity index volume, however, dropped 18% to 2.2 million
contracts per day.
Metals volume fell 9% to 379,000 contracts a day.
Eurodollar futures volume climbed 53% to an average of 2 million
contracts a day, while Treasury futures volumes rose 16% to 3
million contracts a day.
Meanwhile, Eurodollar options averaged 484,000 contracts a day,
up 56% from last year, and Treasury options rose 48% to 533,000
contracts a day.
Shares closed Friday at $81.39, with the stock up 61%
year-to-date.
Write to Everdeen Mason at everdeen.mason@wsj.com
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