Press

Eurex, the international derivatives market, traded and cleared over 63 million contracts in November. A record in monthly volume had been set in the same month of last year with 74 million contracts traded, 14 percent above the number traded in November 2002. After 11 months of trading, the Eurex derivatives market has turned over a total of more than 747 million contracts this year, over 18 percent ahead of the volume traded during the same period of last year.

As in the months before, capital market products was the highest-turnover segment in November, with 33.3 million contracts traded, representing a little more than half of the turnover at Eurex. The leading contract was again the Euro-Bund future with 13.8 million contracts traded. Some 8.8 million contracts changed hands in the Euro-Bobl future in November, and about 7.7 million contracts in the Euro-Schatz future. Compared with the previous year's figures, volume in the Bund future was 7.5 percent higher with 180 million contracts traded, 15 percent higher in the Bobl future with 108 million contracts, and 19 percent higher in the Schatz future with 103 million contracts traded.

Equity-based derivatives showed turnover of 29.7 million contracts in November, comprising 17.2 million contracts in the equity-index derivatives segment and 12.5 million contracts in the equity options segment. Turnover in the equity-index derivatives grew 58 percent against the previous year, while trading in the equity options was eight percent higher. In the recently introduced futures and options on EXTF, about 3,000 contracts were traded during the first few days of trading, after the launch on November 18.

The leading contract in the equity-index derivatives was the DJ Euro STOXX 50 future with 6.5 million contracts traded, a 79 percent increase over the same month of last year. The option on the DJ Euro STOXX 50 index showed 117 percent growth in volume with 4.5 million contracts traded. On the whole, trading in the index contracts at Eurex has been 58 percent higher in 2002 with 192 million contracts traded.

EUREX Trading Volumes since 1990
(in contracts traded)