February FX Options in Retreat at CME Group

CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) has just released its Options Monthly Review for the month ending February 28, 2018, which showed a downward trend in its FX volumes compared to a month ago, though it managed to post steady growth across the group’s other product lines.

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On an aggregated basis, CME’s ADV total options shot higher by 59 percent year-over-year, coming in at 6,121,401 per day.

During February 2018, total FX options averaged 90,583 contracts per day, which represented a rise of 50 percent year-on-year from 60,524 contracts per day in February 2017. Across a monthly interval, however, the latest figures reported a 9 percent loss from 99,427 contracts per day in January 2018.

More specifically, the EUR/USD options were again higher after increasing 82 percent year-on-year with over 44,486 contracts traded daily, while CAD/USD and GBP/USD options climbed 87 percent and 38 percent respectively compared to last year. Conversely, JPY/USD options were lower by 2 percent over a yearly basis.

During the reported period, CME Group’s average daily equity index options volumes were pointed higher, coming in at 1,455,941 contracts for the month, up 98 percent from 736,454 in the same period last year. In addition, the figure reflects a similar strong performance on the monthly basis, adding more than 53.0 percent compared to 950,271 in the prior month.

In terms of metals options, the holding company for CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX exchanges averaged 61,774 contracts per day last month, which is higher by 41 percent when compared to last year’s figures. Relative to January, CME saw an improved ADV of 9.4 percent month-over-month from 56,434 contracts in the month prior.

Last month, Finance Magnates reported on the CME Group as the world’s largest derivatives marketplace is developing a blockchain-based system that will allow modifications of the Blockchain Blockchain Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned). In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data, making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamp Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned). In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data, making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamp Read this Term protocol without requiring consensus from all the network participants.