New York, N.Y., April 21, 2006 — The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. announced that it set daily volume records in Exchange—wide options and NYMEX Division options contracts on April 20.

Exchange-wide options reached 395,531 contracts, beating the previous record of 346,414 contracts traded on April 19.

NYMEX Division options contracts traded a record 349,949 contracts, surpassing the 280,347 contracts traded on April 19.

James E. Newsome, NYMEX President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "It is very rewarding to see continued record activity for our options contracts. The strong performance of our markets this year so far is an affirmation of the confidence that the marketplace has in the liquidity and integrity of the Exchange."

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Contact: Brenda Guzman, 212-299-2436