CME Group Announces Aug. 31 Launch of Micro E-mini Options

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group announced that options on its Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures will launch on August 31, 2020, pending regulatory review. These options aim to enhance flexibility for market participants amid economic uncertainty, following the successful introduction of Micro E-mini Equity futures in May 2019. Highlights include over 300 million cumulative contracts traded and an average of 1.67 million contracts traded daily in 2020. With strong international participation and over 160,000 unique accounts, the new options are expected to further support equity index trading.

Positive

• Launch of options on Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures on Aug. 31, 2020, enhances trading flexibility.
• Over 300 million cumulative contracts traded since May 2019 indicates robust market demand.
• Average daily trading volume of 1.67 million contracts in 2020 showcases strong market engagement.
• 28% of trading volume originated outside the U.S., reflecting global interest.

Negative

• None.

CHICAGO, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced options on its Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures contracts will be available for trading Aug. 31, 2020, pending regulatory review.

"Since their introduction a year ago, Micro E-mini Equity futures have benefited market participants of all types, who have used them to scale their equity index exposure up or down or more precisely hedge existing equity portfolio positions," said Tim McCourt, CME Group Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products. "Based on the success of our micro-sized equity futures contracts and increased customer demand, we are pleased to offer options on the Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures. We believe this will provide our clients with even greater flexibility amid continuing economic uncertainty."

Since launching in May 2019, Micro E-mini Equity futures have rapidly developed into a  robust, liquid underlying futures market. Some highlights include:

• 300 million cumulative contracts traded across all four indices – S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Russell 2000 and Dow Jones Industrial Average – including 153.4 million Micro E-mini S&P 500 and 106.2 million Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures contracts,
• 1.67 million contracts traded across all four products on average each day in 2020 through June,
• 28% of trading volume originated outside of the U.S. since launch, and
• 160,000+ total unique accounts have traded these contracts.

Options on Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures will be listed by and subject to the rules of CME. For more information and detailed specifications on options on Micro E-mini Equity futures, please visit www.cmegroup.com/microemini-options.

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (-1%26h%3D3626951605%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252F%26a%3Dwww.cmegroup.com&a=www.cmegroup.com" rel="nofollow">www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on -1%26h%3D1881032546%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Finterest-rates%252Findex.html%26a%3Dinterest%2Brates&a=interest+rates" rel="nofollow">interest rates, -1%26h%3D1525095268%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Fequity-index%252Findex.html%26a%3Dequity%2Bindexes&a=equity+indexes" rel="nofollow">equity indexes, -1%26h%3D406335131%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Ffx%252F%26a%3Dforeign%2Bexchange&a=foreign+exchange" rel="nofollow">foreign exchange, -1%26h%3D2313485226%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Fenergy%252F%26a%3Denergy&a=energy" rel="nofollow">energy, -1%26h%3D150639520%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Fagricultural%252F%26a%3Dagricultural%2Bproducts&a=agricultural+products" rel="nofollow">agricultural products and -1%26h%3D3537987577%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Ftrading%252Fmetals%252F%26a%3Dmetals&a=metals" rel="nofollow">metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the -1%26h%3D3190247851%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cmegroup.com%252Fglobex%252Findex.html%26a%3DCME%2BGlobex&a=CME+Globex" rel="nofollow">CME Globex® platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.  In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.  With a range of pre- and post-trade products and services underpinning the entire lifecycle of a trade, CME Group also offers optimization and reconciliation services through TriOptima, and trade processing services through Traiana.

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and, E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc.  NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.  COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec, EBS, TriOptima, and Traiana are trademarks of BrokerTec Europe LTD, EBS Group LTD, TriOptima AB, and Traiana, Inc., respectively. Dow Jones, Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and S&P are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and S&P/Dow Jones Indices LLC, as the case may be, and have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

When will CME Group launch options on Micro E-mini contracts?

CME Group plans to launch options on Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures on August 31, 2020, pending regulatory review.

What is the significance of the Micro E-mini options for traders?

The Micro E-mini options aim to provide greater flexibility for traders to manage their equity index exposure and hedge portfolio positions amid economic uncertainty.

How many contracts have been traded in the Micro E-mini market?

Since their introduction in May 2019, over 300 million cumulative contracts have been traded across all Micro E-mini products.

What is the average trading volume for Micro E-mini contracts in 2020?

In 2020, the average daily trading volume for Micro E-mini contracts was 1.67 million contracts.

How many unique accounts have traded Micro E-mini contracts?

There have been over 160,000 unique accounts that have traded Micro E-mini contracts since their launch.