Press

June was a record month for the Eurex derivatives market in several respects. With volume of 38.4 million contracts traded, Eurex beat its previous record of 33.8 million contracts traded in March, thus setting another new worldwide benchmark. The June contract volume is about 88 percent higher than the number traded in the same month of last year. A total of more than 177 million contracts were traded during the first six months of 1999, more than one and a half times the number traded in all of business year 1997.

The BUND future made further headway in June, and was again the world's most heavily traded futures contract. About 16.5 million contracts were traded at Eurex, the previous record was 14 million contracts (in March 1999). Year on year, trading in the BUND future increased about 117 percent. Record results were also posted in options on the BUND with about 2.7 million contracts traded in March 1999, more than 660 percent higher than the volume of about 354,000 contracts posted in the same month of 1998. BOBL futures volume also increased substantially, setting another new record with over 5.87 million contracts traded and 129 percent growth year on year. The SCHATZ future also showed record turnover in June, with 1.92 million contracts traded, an increase of 93 percent over the June 1998 volume.

In the index products, in which trading was favorable overall - the index products showed an increase of 89 percent - especially the steady rise in futures and options on the Dow Jones Euro-STOXX 50 and the SMI. About 900,000 contracts were traded on the Euro-STOXX index in June, about twice the total volume traded in all of 1998. The SMI future also set a new record with over 750,000 contracts traded, a 445 percent increase compared with the same month of last year.

EUREX Trading Volumes from 1990 to date
(in contracts traded)