Press

At the international derivatives exchange Eurex about 175.1 million contracts were traded in August, a rise of 64 percent year on year (August 2006: 107 million). The daily average trading volume was 7.6 million contracts compared with 4.6 million in August 2006. Drivers of growth were the segments equity index and fixed income derivatives. Open interest reached a new record at the end of August with more than 130 million contracts.

The segment equity index derivatives grew by 126 percent to 79.3 million contracts (August 2006: 35.1 million), the third-best monthly figure ever. The most traded product of Eurex was the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50^® index future with 36.7 million contracts (August 2006: 15 million); another 25.9 million contracts were traded in the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 index option (plus 124 percent), both are the second-best monthly figures. DAX^® options and futures recorded a combined volume of 14 million contracts.

Contract turnover in the fixed income segment in August was 67.6 million contracts (August 2006: 50 million), an increase of 35 percent. The Euro Bund future gained by 35 percent and reached 28.1 million contracts (August 2006: 20.8 million). 18.5 million contracts in the Euro Schatz future translate into a growth figure of 60 percent year-on-year. The Schatz option recorded further 2 million contracts.

Trading volume in equity derivatives (equity options and single stock futures) accounted for 28.2 million contracts after 21.9 million in August 2006. The most heavily traded equity option was Allianz with 3.1 million contracts. The most heavily traded single stock future was on Banco Santander with 691,900 contracts.

Eurex Repo, which operates CHF- and EUR repo markets, set in August in its money market segment Euro GC Pooling a new record. Daily outstanding volumes reached €14.6 billion (August 2006: €11.9 billion), the daily traded volumes peaked at €37 billion. All Eurex Repo markets grew by 19 percent, daily outstanding volumes were €95.1 billion (August 2006: €80.1 billion).

Approximately €13.6 billion (single counting) was traded in July on the electronic trading platform Eurex Bonds, which rounds out Eurex’s fixed-income product range. This is an increase of 12 percent compared to July 2007 with €12.1 billion; volume in August 2006 was €13.5 billion.