The CBOE Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE) announced Thursday that reported trading volume in futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) reached a new all-time high on Wednesday as 8,285 contracts traded.
This new single-day record topped the previous high of 4,604 contracts set on January 31. Open interest in VIX futures was 21,139 contracts at the beginning of the trading session this morning, a news release said.
During February, trading in futures on the CBOE Volatility Index totaled 17,720 contracts, the second busiest month ever, and open interest stood at 19,819 contracts at months end.
Meanwhile, options on VIX, traded at CBOE since February 24, 2006, have seen an average daily volume of nearly 7,500 contracts during the first three and a half weeks of trading, while open interest has risen sharply, standing at more than 109,000 contracts on Wednesday morning.
CFE offers futures on 25 different contracts, including: the CBOE Volatility Index, CBOE S&P 500 Three-Month Variance, CBOE DJIA Volatility Index, CBOE China Index, full and mini-size Russell 1000 Index, Mini-Russell 2000 Index, (12) PowerPacks sector indexes, and (6) Gas at the Pump contracts. CFE recently announced the addition of two new products: CBOE S&P 500 Twelve-Month Variance futures, scheduled to begin trading on Friday, March 24, 2006; and National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales Media Price futures contracts, expected to launch in the second quarter of 2006, pending regulatory approval.