The Long and Short of Futures Options: 2015 Q3 Review

Today we are joined by Derek Samman, Global Head of Commodities and Options Products at CME Group.

What to Know: Highlights from the last quarter at CME Group.

• Third-quarter 2015 average daily volume was 14.4 million contracts, up 7 percent from third-quarter 2014, and included record quarterly options average daily volume as well as double digit growth across all commodities product lines. Clearing and transaction fee revenues were $715 million, up 11 percent compared with third-quarter 2014. Market data revenue was $100 million, up 13 percent compared with the third quarter last year. Third-quarter 2015 total average rate per contract was 75.9 cents, down from 77.7 cents in second-quarter 2015, driven primarily by higher volume discounts as well as a sequential product mix shift from commodities to equity index products which capture lower fees.(Source: CME Group)
• Q3 options volume reached a record level of 2.9 million contracts per day. We also saw the highest percentage of this business trading electronically, which reached 55 percent electronic during the quarter. One of the key drivers of our continued electronic options success is our investment in enabling more complex Options spreads to trade on Globex. In 5 Q3, we saw a record 45 percent of all Options spreads trade electronically, versus just 10 percent in 2010. And volume in the world's largest major options contracts, our Eurodollar options traded on Globex, jumped by more than 60 percent to a record 200,000 contracts per day in Q3, and reached 21 percent electronic versus 14 percent a year ago. (Source: CME Group)

What's on Your Mind? Listener questions and comments

• Brokers, symbols, and how to trade futures and futures options