The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) says that average daily volume for the month of August was 2,369,845 contracts, an increase of 32% over August 2005’s average daily volume of 1,793,265 contracts. With August’s trading volume of 54,506,439 contracts, CBOE’s year-to-date total volume now stands at 446.2 million contracts, 52% ahead of 2005.
Strong growth continued in the equity options and exchange traded fund options sectors at CBOE during the month. In August, equity option volume increased 29% as 30.3 million contracts traded. Options on ETFs posted the largest monthly gain of any CBOE sector, as trading volume surged 59% to 11.3 million with brisk trading in options on Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock (QQQ), up 58% for the month, and iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM), up 171% for the month, leading the way.
CBOE led the six U.S. options exchanges in market share, handling more than 1/3 of industry volume during August. CBOE’s market share of 34% was up one percentage point from August 2005. Year-to-date, CBOE’s market share of total industry volume is up 2.2 percentage points over 2005, to 34%.
With its 32% increase in volume over year-ago totals, August 2006 was the 36th consecutive month that total CBOE monthly volume posted year-on-year gains.
By the end of August, CBOE’s year-to-date volume in options on exchange traded funds has already surpassed its total trading volume for all of 2005. Through month’s end, ETF options at CBOE have traded 87,895,367 contracts during the first eight months of 2006; while for all of 2005, CBOE’s ETF options volume totaled 76,878,867 contracts.
Volume in index and exchange traded fund options totaled 24.2 million contracts during August, an increase of 36% over August 2005’s volume of 17.8 million contracts. The top five most actively traded index and ETF options during August were: S&P 500 Index (SPX), iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM), Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock (QQQ), Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipts (SPY) and S&P 100 Index (OEX).
Options on VIX set a new single day volume record on Monday, August 14, when 162,856 contracts traded, topping the previous record of 123,993 contracts from May 10, 2006. For the month, volume in VIX options totaled 503,165 contracts traded, up 104% over July’s volume of 246,283 contracts. Total year-to-date volume now stands at more than 2.8 million contracts. Open interest in VIX options stood at 728,647 contracts at month’s end. VIX options were launched on February 24, 2006.
In equity options, volume during August totaled 30.3 million contracts traded, an increase of 29% over August 2005’s volume of 23.4 million contracts. The top five most actively traded equity options during August were: Apple Computer, Inc. (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), Altria Group, Inc. (MO), Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO).
On Tuesday, August 15, a CBOE seat was sold for an all-time record high of $1,400,000. On the year, CBOE seat prices have increased 49%, and since January of 2005, CBOE seats have risen 335%.
Volume at CBOE Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE) totaled 51,871 contracts traded during August — the second busiest month ever for CFE – and an increase of 172% over August 2005’s volume of 19,083 contracts. The last four months (May, June, July and August) have been the busiest months at CFE since its launch in 2004. Volume in futures on VIX, the CBOE Volatility Index (VX), was 47,765 contracts traded during August.
Year-to-date volume at CFE is up 104% over 2005 as 270,121 contracts have traded during the first eight months of 2006, compared to 2005’s year-to-date volume of 132,710 contracts. At month’s end, exchange and VIX futures open interest stood at record highs of 47,883 contracts and 45,474 contracts respectively.