The equity index derivatives segment - the strongest in terms of volumes - reached over 100 million contracts in a single month for the first time. It grew by 75 percent (y-o-y) to 122.3 million contracts. A key growth driver was the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50® Index Future with around 56.6 million contracts (new record); the options volume also achieved its best monthly result with 44.8 million contracts.
The equity derivatives segment (equity options and single stock futures) totaled 34.5 million contracts (September 2007: 24.1 million). 30.6 million equity options contracts were traded, and single stock futures traded another 3.9 million contracts.
Interest rate derivatives achieved 72.6 million contracts (September 2007:61.8 million contracts). Approximately 27 million contracts were traded on the Euro Bund Future, 17.1 million contracts on the Euro Bobl Future; and the Euro Schatz Future recorded its second-best monthly result with 20 million contracts.
At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), which has been part of Eurex since December 2007, US options reached an average daily trading volume of 4.8 million contracts (September 2007: 3.0 million). In total, 101.5 million contracts were traded in September 2008. On a year-to-date basis, average daily trading volume of all options increased 36 percent to 4.1 million contracts.
Eurex Repo, which operates CHF and EUR repo markets, set new record volumes in all three segments in September. The secured money market segment, Euro GC Pooling, increased outstanding volumes to €47.2 billion, daily outstanding volume peaked at a new record level of €55.6 billion. The EUR repo market grew by 60 percent and set a record of average outstanding volume of €75.7 billion in September (Sep 2007: €47.2 billion). The CHF repo market grew to the record value of €66.4 billion.
The electronic trading platform Eurex Bonds, which rounds out Eurex's fixed-income product range, traded volumes of €10.2 billion (single counting)in September; in September 2007 it was €11.3 billion. In August 2008 volumes were €6.3 billion.