The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) released the spot trading volumes for February 2022. In the past month, the volatility in the Forex market has increased due to geopolitical events.
Extraordinary sanctions on Russia aimed at crippling its economy sent safe-haven flows in the market. When the FX markets are volatile it is often reflected in higher volumes.
The Average Daily Volume (ADV) for February increased to $42 billion (approx.), which is the strongest month since March 2020.
Since the tension between Russia and Ukraine has escalated to a full-scale invasion, trading volumes have sharply increased. Euro Swiss trading volumes saw a large spike on the last trading day of the month.
February 2022 ADV saw an increase of +15% (approx.) compared to January 2022 even though February has 1 less trading day (only 20), which is a substantial increase.
Volumes per Instrument
Compared to February 2021, spot FX volumes saw a moderate increase of +13%. Since 9 February trading volumes have been persistently higher.
Below are some of the trading volumes per instrument on the last day of February (in USD millions):
GBPAUD: $75
NZDJPY: $21
USDSGD: $1,448
AUDJPY: $401
AUDUSD: $3,921
EURUSD: $13,139
GBPUSD: $5,002
USDJPY: $4,515
USDCAD: $2,693
USDCHF: $1,403
USDCNH: $2,366
XAUUSD: $1,222
The current war in Europe may sustain the market volatility , which may, in turn, maintain elevated trading volumes. Monetary policies, particularly the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Fed may inject stronger FX volatility.
Although rate hikes are still expected this year from the Fed, the current risk aversion mode may easily influence Fed Powell. Based on current market conditions and geopolitical news, greater volatility is anticipated.
During the monetary policy tightening phase that followed the instability of Greece, FX volumes were relatively high. The Swiss Franc (CHF) and GBP crosses may post greater volatility this year if compared to 2021.
