Global trading of futures and options surged in the first quarter as markets responded to the coronavirus pandemic. The total number of contracts traded on derivatives exchanges worldwide rose to 11.41 billion, an all-time quarterly record and an increase of 43.2% over the first quarter of 2019. Total trading of futures reached 6.42 billion contracts in the first quarter, up 45.8% from the first quarter of 2019. Options volume reached 4.99 billion, up 40% from the same period last year. Open interest, which measures the number of outstanding contracts, was 921.3 million at the end of March, up 5.2% compared to the same point in time in 2019. In this webinar, FIA will present data on volume and open interest across the global listed derivatives markets, with break-downs by asset class and region.
