October 2021 Options Newsletter

Welcome to the Options Newsletter

We're excited to announce the new Options Newsletter, created specifically with options subscribers in mind. Each quarterly send will include curated cross-asset options content, such as trends in the market, learning opportunities, options tools, and more.


Commodity traders turn to weekly options amidst elevated volatility

Trading activity in weekly options on Commodity futures has surged this year as market participants look for flexible and cost-effective ways to manage bouts of elevated volatility.

Source: CME Group


CVOL: A look at what's trending in volatility

  • The Commodity CVOL Index (CMVL), which measures aggregate volatility across Agriculture, Energy, and Metals markets, hit a 17-month high of 62 on Oct. 5
  • Nat Gas CVOL Index (NGVL) has soared, hitting an all-time high of 144 on Oct. 5.

Now live: E-mini Russell 2000 Monday and Wednesday Weekly Options

Manage your exposure on the leading benchmark for small-cap performance with short-dated options, offering greater precision and flexibility in your trading strategies.

New: market activity on the options homepage

We've launched an enhanced options homepage offering a one-stop recourse for all things options. In addition to the latest product news, analysis, tools, and education, the page houses the new market activity grid. 

Powered by QuikStrike data, the market activity grid offers a snapshot of options trading data across key benchmarks, including volume, OI, volatility, and underlying futures prices.


FX options: OI, ADV climb to multi-year highs

September OI in listed FX options reached 924K contracts, the highest level since January 2018. OI in Australian and Canadian Dollar options reached record levels. On a contract basis, September had the highest average daily volume (44,248 contracts) since March 2020, an increase of 15.5% year-over-year. 


E-mini S&P 500 (ES) options: 1.5M contracts traded, and counting

Equity block trading continues to gain momentum, allowing market participants to execute larger trades with greater efficiency. Launched in June, ES options blocks wrapped up September with nearly 50K contracts traded daily.


New Opportunities to Learn

Webinar: Options on Equity Index Futures

Join David Gibbs, Director of Education at CME Group, for a live webinar on October 13 at 8 a.m. CT. David will discuss strategies to help hedge adverse price movements in an underlying risk position, construct bull/bear spreads, and execute simple volatility trades.

Options tool spotlight: CME Direct

Access liquid CME Group futures, options, and block markets all on one screen with CME Direct, a fast, secure, and highly-configurable trading front-end that offers access to both CME Globex and CME ClearPort with a single interface.