Eurex turned over 93 million contracts in October. Compared with October 2002 (86.5 million contracts), volume increased 7.5 percent. From January to October 2003, the derivatives platform turned over 874 million contracts, about 28 per cent higher than the number traded during the same period of 2002 (684 million contracts). In October, moreover, Eurex Bonds achieved its best monthly result so far this year, with 21.2 billion euros in turnover.
A total of 52.8 million contracts were traded and cleared in fixed-income products at Eurex in October, the third-highest volume posted in this segment. The Euro-Bund future, with 21.8 million contracts traded, topped its October 2002 volume by 6 percent. Volume in the Euro-Bobl future was 11 percent higher than the previous year’s volume for the month (12.4 million contracts), rising to 13.7 million contracts traded. Turnover in Euro-Schatz futures, at 12.7 million contracts, was the third-highest volume to date and even with the October 2002 level.
In equity-based derivatives, 40.2 million contracts were traded in October. The total comprises 22.8 million contracts in equity-index derivatives and 17.4 million in equity options. Trading in equity index derivatives rose 28.5 percent, year on year. The leading contract in the equity index derivatives in October was the futures contract on the DJ Euro STOXX 50 index, with 9.3 million contracts traded, ahead of the option on the DJ Euro STOXX 50 index with 6.8 million contracts traded.
Trading in Dutch equity options was also especially active again in October, with 816,000 contracts traded at Eurex, a new record volume, and 180 percent higher than in October 2002. The Eurex market share was thus about 14 percent . In the French equity options segment, Eurex showed growth of 245 percent over the October 2002 figure, with 136,000 contracts traded.
The leading contract in equity options at Eurex in October was the option on Allianz, with 2.4 million contracts, ahead of the option on Munich Re with 2.4 million options traded, and the option on SAP, with 1.7 million contracts.
Eurex Bonds, the electronic trading platform, turned over 21.2 billion euros (single counting) in October, setting a new record for the year (previous record: 18.6 billion euros in September 2003); this corresponds to 15 percent growth compared with October 2002 (18.4 billion euros).