September 15, 2011

The World's Most Liquid Benchmark: Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) Futures and Options

Open interest in WTI Crude Oil futures (CL), the world's most liquid crude oil benchmark, finished August strong following a double-digit increase compared to the previous year with growth of 13.3 percent as of Sept. 1, 2011. Total weekly volume reached 3.1 million contracts traded last week. Augusts' daily volume averaged 746,889 contracts traded.

The WTI Crude Oil Options Complex attained open interest of 7,048,462 contracts as of Sept. 9, 2011, while total weekly volume reached 605,817 contracts last week. Daily volume averaged 191,622 contracts during the month of August.

To learn more about global benchmark Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) futures and options, please be sure to visit www.cmegroup.com/wti, where you will find a wealth of educational resources and up-to-the minute quote information.

Listing of New Coal Futures Contracts

Effective for trade date Monday, September 12, 2011, the Exchange has listed the following coal futures contract for trading on the NYMEX trading floor and for submission for clearing through CME ClearPort.

• China Coal (IHS McCloskey/Xinhua Infolink South China CFR Marker 5,500kc NAR)
  Swap Futures
• Coal (API 6) fob Newcastle (ARGUS-McCloskey) Swap Futures

Read Special Executive Report 5906 and Report 5855R.

For any further information, please contact Owain Johnson at +65 6593-5568 or Adila Mchich at
+1 212 299 2270.

Listing of Two NYISO Capacity Futures Contracts - NRS and NNC

Effective for trade date Monday, September 12, 2011, the Exchange has launched two new NYISO Capacity swap futures contracts for trading on the NYMEX trading floor and for submission for clearing through CME ClearPort.

• NYISO Rest of the State Capacity Calendar-Month Swap Futures (NRS)
• NYISO NYC In-City Capacity Calendar-Month Swap Futures (NNC)

Read Special Executive Report 5830

For more information, please contact Kristen Bauer, +1 713 658 9294.

Listing of PJM West Hub RT Same Day Options Contract

Effective for trade date Monday, August 22, 2011, the Exchange has listed an electricity option contract, PJM West Hub RT Same Day Option, for open outcry trading and for clearing through CME ClearPort.

See PJM Peak Calendar-Month LMP Swap Options contract specifications.

Read Special Executive Report 5875

For more information, please contact Robert Biolsi, +1 212 299 2610.

Listing of Two Gas Oil Futures - GFN and ENF

Effective for trade date Monday, September 12, 2011, the Exchange has launched two new NYISO Capacity swap futures contracts for trading on the NYMEX trading floor and for submission for clearing through CME ClearPort.

• Gasoil 50 ppm Barges FOB Rdam vs. Gasoil 0.1% (Platts) Barges FOB Rdam Swap Futures (GFN)
• European Diesel 10 ppm Barges FOB Rdam vs. Gasoil 50 ppm (Platts) Barges FOB Rdam Swap Futures

Read Special Executive Report 5904

For any further information, please contact Daniel Brusstar at +1 212 299 2604 or Elizabeth Hui at
+1 212 299 2623.

Listing of SoCal Gas City-Gate Swap (Platts IFERC) Futures

Effective for trade date Monday, August 29, 2011, the Exchange has listed a new natural gas swap contract, SoCal Gas City-Gate Swap (Platts IFERC) futures, for open outcry trading and for clearing through CME ClearPort.

See SoCal Gas City-Gate Swap (Platts IFERC) Futures contract specifications.

Read Special Executive Report 5889

For more information, please contact Brad Leach, +1 212 299 2609 or Adila Mchich
+1 212 299 2270.

Events: Advanced Energy Trading Simulation Courses

Looking for exposure to the latest electronic trading tools to navigate the oil, gas, or electricity trading infrastructure? The latest series of professional training courses, offered by global energy market thought leaders from Tulane University's A. B. Freeman School of Business, the Energy Management Institute, and CME Group, are the perfect opportunity for you to hone and test your skills using the most realistic trading simulations available.

Each two-day course covers everything from industry fundamentals to electronic trading while focusing on the trading strategies businesses use to manage risk and maximize returns. Instructors include professors from the Freeman School of Business, professionals with CME Group, and energy experts from EMI.

Reserve your seat here to get unparalleled training in energy trading.

UPCOMING COURSE DETAILS

New Orleans:

Chicago:

The Commodities and Natural Resources Forum

Date: Tuesday, 08 November 2011
Time: 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Newman Library at Baruch College, 151 East 25th Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10010
Sponsoring Firm: MTA Educational Foundation

The 3rd Annual MTA Educational Foundation fundraising event features a prominent panel of experts discussing the outlook for important equity alternatives. The panelists participating in this year's Commodities and Natural Resources Forum are:

• James Bianco, President of Bianco Research
• Jeff deGraaf, Chairman of Renaissance Macro Research
• Joseph Foster, Portfolio Manager at Van Eck International Investors Gold Fund
• Dennis Gartman, Editor/Publisher of The Gartman Letter

The discussion will be moderated by Ron Insana. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support the MTAEF-MTA Library at Baruch College and the creation and support of a technical analysis curriculum being taught for credit in colleges and universities around the world.

 More information
 Register online or make a donation

Events: School of Futures Comes to Europe

If you make your living on the business side of virtually any industry, you owe it to yourself to gain a firm grasp of futures and options fundamentals. The CME Group School of Futures, a comprehensive, four-day program created by CME Group experts, is the perfect opportunity for students of all ages to master the concepts, mechanics, history and strategies that define today's derivatives markets, from the basics of futures, options, and centralized clearing upward. Interactive discussions and hands-on trading sessions will deepen and solidify your command of these crucial financial tools in all of the various asset classes and product complexes, including Energy, Metals, Equity Indices, FX, Interest Rates, and Agriculture.

Space is limited. Enroll today.

DETAILS

London: 7 - 10 Nov., 2011
Registration Fee: £1,000

Access the Monthly Energy Update - Chart Book to view a global trading summary of energy markets, including product highlights, average daily volume, open interest, and historical volatility.

August Energy Trading Highlights

 For more information on Exchange energy products, please visit cmegroup.com/energy, or contact one of the following Exchange representatives:

Margin Erosion Opportunities for Energy Traders

If you trade financially settled energy contracts, your margin requirements decrease, or erode, as the contract month progresses, if the contracts you trade settle according to an average of daily prices during the settlement month. We ask for margin on only the remaining risk, as a service to you, so you can use that capital more efficiently in other ways. CME Group is the only exchange for energy trading and clearing that offers this feature. Visit our Margin Requirements page to view full initial and eroded maintenance margins for individual contracts, and to learn more about this benefit.

Energy Unit Conversion Calculator Available on www.cmegroup.com

Need to know how to convert $/Barrel to $/mmBtu? Want to double-check a 3-2-1 crack spread calculation? Try our online Conversion Calculator, which features the most frequently used conversions for trading in crude oil, refined products, natural gas, coal, crack spreads, spark spreads, and more.

Professional Energy Market Commentary on www.cmegroup.com

Looking for energy market commentary, from the experts, updated throughout the day?

Be sure to check out the Energy Market Commentary, where you will find experienced perspectives to help you make smart energy trading decisions. Commentators include:

• Dominick Chirichella of the Energy Management Institute
• Stephen Schork of the Schork Report
• Dean Rogers and Cynthia Kase of Kase and Co.
• Experts from CME Group Energy

Daily commentaries provide a recap of each product's traded price activity, an analysis of the factors that influenced price activity, a recap of any reports released that day, and a pre-market look ahead at the next day's schedule.

Be sure to bookmark our market commentary section and take advantage of this convenient and comprehensive resource for a variety of asset classes - available at no cost!

 View Energy Market Commentary

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About CME Group

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate. CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through the CME Globex electronic trading platform and trading facilities in New York and Chicago. CME Group also operates CME Clearing, one of the largest central counterparty clearing services in the world, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts, as well as for over-the-counter derivatives transactions through CME ClearPort.

More information on CME Group Products:

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