CME’s April Volumes Fall Across the Board, FX Retreats Off Highs

CME Group (NASDAQ: CME), one of the world’s largest derivatives marketplaces, has disclosed its April 2017 volumes, which showed a lower month-over-month performance across key business segments. On an aggregated basis, CME’s volumes pared some of its recent gains, namely in terms of FX.

In terms of its overall volume for April 2017, CME Group reported an average of 16.3 million contracts per day, which was reflective of a fall of -3.6 percent month-over-month from 16.9 million contracts per day in March 2017. This latest reading constitutes a consecutive monthly decline at the exchange, having pivoted off of a recent ascension that was prevalent during the first two months of 2017.

Looking at a yearly timetable as a means of comparison, April 2017 proved to be much more active at CME Group across the board, justifying a year-over-year growth of 18.0 percent from 13.8 million contracts per day in April 2016. This growth was fueled by an outperformance in interest rates (50.0 percent year-over-year growth), and metals (25.0 percent higher year-over-year).

FX Falls MoM

CME Group’s average daily foreign exchange (FX) volumes was lower in April 2017, coming in at just 788,000 contracts per day as compared to 978,000 contracts per day in March 2017, or -19.4 percent month-over-month, retreating off of its reading in 2017 last month. By extension, CME Group’s April 2017 figures did tepidly beat its 2016 counterpart by 2.0 percent year-over-year from 771,000 contracts per day in April 2016.

For the month ending April 2017, CME Group continued its 2017 swoon of interest rate volume average, which came in at just 8.3 million contracts per day. This was meant a fall of -5.0 percent month-over-month vs. 8.7 million contracts per day in March 2017.

Finally, CME’s equity indexes during April 2017 rescinded to 2.6 million contracts per day, relative to 3.2 million contracts per day in February 2017, or -18.8 percent lower month-over-month – the latest reading was however also lower by -4.0 percent year-over year from April 2016.