Total cleared contract volume at OCC rose 14% in October over October 2010, with clearing of index options showing a sizeable rise of more than a third over the previous year. Securities lending activity was down 7%, although activity year-to-date has risen 23% over the same period in 2010.
Only clearing of options on futures was down this October compared to last, and the drop was a significant 34%.
Total cleared volume year-to-date is up 22% over the same period in 2010.
Exchange-listed options trading in October was up 14% from the previous year, while equity options trading rose 13%.
Meanwhile, total futures cleared by OCC were up 16% from October 2010, with index and other futures volume rising 16% over October 2010. Year-to-date, OCC futures volume is more than double that of 2010 with nearly 34 million contracts cleared this year.
Volumes at the OCC have risen in recent months as hectic trading in volatile markets has led to an increased number of cleared derivatives trades. In a particularly turbulent month for the markets, OCC cleared a record 550 million contracts this August, nearly doubling the number in the previous August.
(CG)