CME Group Reported Second Highest Volume Month Ever in September, Averaging 15.7 Million Contracts per Day, Up 18 Percent from Year-Ago Levels on a Combined Basis

CHICAGO, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CME Group, the world's largest and most diverse derivatives exchange, today announced that September 2008 volume averaged 15.7 million contracts per day, up 18 percent from September 2007 and up 44 percent compared with August 2008, assuming combined CME Group/NYMEX volumes. Total monthly volume exceeded 328 million contracts, a record 81 percent of which were traded electronically. On a combined basis, CME Group third-quarter 2008 volume averaged 13.2 million contracts per day, down 7 percent from the same period last year. On the same basis, CME Group year-to-date 2008 volume through September averaged 13.9 million contracts per day, up 10 percent from the same period in 2007.

September 2008 Highlights

CME Group E-mini equity index volume averaged a record 4.8 million contracts per day, up 66 percent compared with September 2007. CME Group foreign exchange (FX) contracts volume averaged a record 835,000 contracts per day, up 32 percent, and represented a record average daily notional value of $111 billion, up 41 percent. CME Group interest rate volume averaged 7.1 million contracts per day, down 1 percent compared with the same period in 2007. CME Group commodities and alternative investments volume averaged 736,000 contracts per day, up 3 percent from September 2007.

All references to CME Group volume and rate per contract information in the text of this document exclude our non-traditional TRAKRS products, for which CME Group receives significantly lower clearing fees than other CME Group products, and Swapstream products.

Total NYMEX volume averaged 1.9 million contracts for September 2008, up 17 percent compared with the same period last year. Monthly NYMEX energy futures and options volume averaged 1.0 million contracts per day, up 5 percent from September 2007. COMEX metals volume averaged 266,000 contracts per day for September 2008, up 65 percent. Average daily volume on NYMEX ClearPort was 521,000 contracts for September 2008, up 44 percent compared with September 2007. The remaining NYMEX volume of 65,000 trades per day consisted of other transactions, which include position transfers and exchanges.

Third-Quarter 2008 Highlights

CME Group E-mini equity index volume averaged a record 3.6 million contracts per day, up 19 percent compared with third-quarter 2007. CME Group FX volume averaged a record 710,000 contracts per day, up 12 percent, and represented a record average daily notional value of $97 billion, up 24 percent. CME Group commodities and alternative investments volume averaged 822,000 contracts per day, up 15 percent from the same period in 2007. CME Group interest rate volume averaged 6.0 million contracts per day, down 25 percent compared with the third quarter last year.

Total NYMEX volume averaged 1.8 million contracts for third-quarter 2008, up 23 percent compared with third-quarter 2007. Quarterly NYMEX energy futures and options volume averaged 1.0 million contracts per day, up 12 percent from the same period last year. COMEX metals volume averaged 250,000 contracts per day for third-quarter 2008, up 66 percent. Average daily volume on NYMEX ClearPort was 492,000 contracts, up 40 percent compared with the same period in 2007. The remaining NYMEX volume of 65,000 trades per day consisted of other transactions, which include position transfers and exchanges.

MONTHLY AVERAGE DAILY VOLUME (ADV)

Total Exchange Pro Forma ADV (Legacy CME, CBOT, and NYMEX combined, in thousands)

                          September 2008  September 2007   Percent Change
    Total                      15,662           13,221              18%


  CME Group ADV (Legacy CME and CBOT combined, in thousands)
  PRODUCT LINE                 September 2008  September 2007     Percent
                                                                  Change
  Interest Rates                    7,086           7,127           -1%
  E-minis                           4,801           2,894           66%
  Equity Standard                     304             235           29%
  FX                                  835             635           32%
  Commodities and Alt. Inv.           736             712            3%
    Total                          13,762          11,603           19%



  VENUE                        September 2008  September 2007     Percent
                                                                  Change
  Open outcry                       1,962           2,554          -23%
  CME Globex                       11,598           8,846           31%
  Privately negotiated                202             202            0%


  NYMEX/COMEX ADV (In thousands)
                               September 2008  September 2007     Percent
                                                                  Change
  NYMEX floor                         189             231          -18%
  NYMEX electronic                    860             768           12%
  COMEX floor                          38              40           -5%
  COMEX electronic                    228             121           88%
  NYMEX ClearPort                     521             363           44%
  Other                                65              96          -32%
    Total                           1,900           1,618           17%


  QUARTERLY AVERAGE DAILY VOLUME (ADV)

Total Exchange Pro Forma ADV (Legacy CME, CBOT, and NYMEX combined, in thousands)

                                  Q3 2008         Q3 2007         Percent
                                                                  Change
    Total                          13,236          14,161           -7%


  CME Group ADV (Legacy CME and CBOT combined, in thousands)

  PRODUCT LINE                     Q3 2008         Q3 2007        Percent
                                                                  Change
  Interest Rates                    6,030           8,060          -25%
  E-minis                           3,638           3,057           19%
  Equity Standard                     204             202            1%
  FX                                  710             635           12%
  Commodities and Alt. Inv.           822             716           15%
    Total                          11,404          12,670          -10%

  VENUE                            Q3 2008         Q3 2007        Percent
                                                                  Change
  Open outcry                       1,602           2,652          -40%
  CME Globex                        9,641           9,806           -2%
  Privately negotiated                161             212          -24%




  NYMEX/COMEX ADV (In thousands)

                           Q3 2008      Q3 2007      Percent   NYMEX/COMEX
                                                     Change    Standalone
                                                               Post-Close*
  NYMEX floor                193          229         -15%          172
  NYMEX electronic           831          687          21%          804
  COMEX floor                 36           36          -1%           33
  COMEX electronic           214          114          88%          206
  NYMEX ClearPort            492          351          40%          506
  Other                       65           74         -12%           60
    Total                  1,831        1,491          23%        1,782


  * Represents NYMEX/COMEX average daily volume from August 22, 2008 through
    September 30, 2008.

  Note: The NYMEX acquisition was completed on August 22, 2008.
        Third-quarter 2008 CME Group average daily volume, plus NYMEX
        average daily volume from August 22nd through September 30th, totals
        12.2 million contracts.


  ROLLING THREE-MONTH AVERAGES

  CME Group (Legacy CME and CBOT combined)
  Average Rate Per Contract (In dollars)

                                      3-Month Period Ending
                          Aug-08       Jul-08       Jun-08       May-08
  Interest Rates           0.519        0.518        0.522        0.527
  E-minis                  0.670        0.665        0.668        0.661
  Equity Standard          1.444        1.455        1.453        1.473
  FX                       0.911        0.905        0.907        0.918
  Commodities/
   Alt. Investments        1.155        1.146        1.134        1.114
  Total                    0.658        0.647        0.648        0.644
  Open outcry              0.608        0.594        0.572        0.575
  Electronic               0.634        0.624        0.629        0.622
  Privately negotiated     2.481        2.464        2.427        2.354


  Average Daily Volume (In thousands)

                                     3-Month Period Ending
                          Sep-08       Aug-08       Jul-08       Jun-08
  Interest Rates           6,030        5,922        6,438        6,467
  E-minis                  3,638        3,211        3,186        2,833
  Equity Standard            204          179          177          161
  FX                         710          687          675          665
  Commodities/
   Alt. Investments          822          945          913          933
  Total                   11,404       10,945       11,388       11,060
  Open outcry              1,602        1,580        1,721        1,836
  Electronic               9,641        9,202        9,494        9,054
  Privately negotiated       161          162          173          170


  NYMEX/COMEX
  Average Rate Per Contract (In dollars, on a pro forma basis*)

                                      3-Month Period Ending
                          Aug-08       Jul-08       Jun-08       May-08
  NYMEX floor               1.40         1.63         1.61         1.59
  NYMEX electronic          1.32         1.32         1.30         1.30
  COMEX floor               1.64         1.63         1.71         1.70
  COMEX electronic          1.73         1.73         1.71         1.68
  NYMEX ClearPort           1.60         1.58         1.57         1.54
  Other                     1.86         1.85         1.85         1.88
  Total Pro Forma Average
   Net Rate                 1.48         1.50         1.48         1.47
  Direct Transaction Cost   0.08         0.08         0.08         0.08
  Total Pro Forma Average
   Gross Rate               1.56         1.58         1.56         1.55

  * Pro forma adjustment excludes the Globex payment to CME Group from the
    NYMEX electronic, COMEX electronic and Direct Transaction Cost lines.

  Average Daily Volume (In thousands)

                                      3-Month Period Ending
                          Sep-08       Aug-08       Jul-08       Jun-08
  NYMEX floor                193          208          232          238
  NYMEX electronic           831          841          883          865
  COMEX floor                 36           35           37           38
  COMEX electronic           214          194          190          172
  NYMEX ClearPort            492          455          443          418
  Other                       65           72           84           85
  Total                    1,831        1,805        1,869        1,816

CME Group (http://www.cmegroup.com/) is the world's largest and most diverse derivatives exchange. Building on the heritage of CME, CBOT and NYMEX, CME Group serves the risk management needs of customers around the globe. As an international marketplace, CME Group brings buyers and sellers together on the CME Globex electronic trading platform and on trading floors in Chicago and New York. By acting as the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer, CME Clearing virtually eliminates counterparty credit risk. CME Clearing also offers $7 billion in financial safeguards to help mitigate systemic risk, providing the security and confidence market participants need to operate, invest and grow. CME Group offers the widest range of benchmark products available across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, and alternative investment products such as weather and real estate. CME Group is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "CME."

The Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CME Group, Globex and E-mini, are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange, and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Further information about CME Group and its products can be found at http://www.cmegroup.com/.

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SOURCE: CME Group

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