CBOE Holdings, America’s largest options Exchange operator, announced that it will be launching a suite of new options for two FTE Russell indices – the FTSE 100 and the FTSE China 50 – that will provide investors with access to the most liquid markets segments in the UK and China.
Exposure to blue chips
The new options are based on mini versions of the FTSE 100 index, comprised of 100 blue-chip companies in the UK, and the FTSE China 50, which includes the country’s largest companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
Institutional and other investors use both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE China 50 as key performance benchmarks
In a comment on the launch of the new contracts, CBOE Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Edward Tilly had the following to say: “Institutional and other investors use both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE China 50 as key performance benchmarks. The FTSE 100 Index also is used as a performance measure by index-tracking funds and derivatives, and the FTSE China 50 was designed specifically for international investors seeking to gain exposure to Chinese equity markets.”
CBOE said in its press release on the topic that the new options are part of an agreement between it and London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the owner of the FTSE Russell indices. The agreement was closed in February this year, and with it CBOE became the exclusive US provider of options contracts for more than 24 LSEG FTSE Russell indices.
