Press

Eurex, the international derivatives market, set a new worldwide record in trading volume in November: With some 74 million contracts traded, the world market leader clearly topped its previous record of 68.5 million contracts traded in September 2001. Compared with the figure for November last year (37 million contracts), Eurex doubled the volume traded. From January to November 2001, over 630 million contracts changed hands in the derivatives market, representing an increase of more than 50 percent compared with the same period of 2000.

The capital market products were the highest-volume segment at Eurex and the world's most successful exchange-traded derivatives family again in November, setting a new record in turnover with more than 48 million contracts traded (previous record: 38.6 million contracts in September 2001) and exceeding the November 2000 volume by 125 percent. The highest-volume contract in this segment and at Eurex as a whole was the Euro Bund future with 18.8 million contracts traded, 73 percent more than in November 2000. The Bund futures volume also set a new record for trading in this product (previous record: 16.9 million contracts in January 2001). In Euro Bobl futures, volume grew by some 145 percent against the previous year's figure, to more than 12 million contracts traded, also a new record (previous record: 9.5 million contracts in March 2001). Volume in Euro Schatz futures was three and a half times as high as the November 2000 volume, rising to some 11.7 million contracts traded, and like the futures on Bund and Bobl, also set a new record (previous record: 9.9 million contracts in September 2001). Record results were also achieved in all options on the capital market products. A total of 384 million contracts have been traded in the segment as a whole this year.

In equity-based derivatives, some 25.7 million contracts were traded in November, comprising about 12.5 million contracts in equity index derivatives and about 13.2 million in equity options; this corresponds to growth of 70 percent and 60 percent, respectively, against the November 2000 volumes. From January to November, a total of more than 245 million contracts were traded at Eurex, 124.3 million contracts in equity options and 121.4 million contracts in equity index derivatives.

Turnover in Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 futures was two-and-a-half times higher, increasing to 3.6 million contracts, volume in the options grew 126 percent to 2.1 million contracts traded. In the derivatives products on the DAX, volume increased 23 percent in the options with some 4.1 million contracts traded and 40 percent in the futures with some 1.2 million contracts traded, compared with the November 2000 levels.

In the equity options segment, the option on shares of Deutsche Telekom, with more than 2.5 million contracts traded in November, was ahead of the option on Nokia with 1.66 million contracts. The results in both options, however, corresponded to new records in trading volume (previous records: Telekom, August 2001, 2.3 million contracts; Nokia, October 2001, 1.6 million contracts).

EUREX Trading Volumes since 1990
(in contracts traded)