Washington, DC—FIA today released data for global futures and options trading in the first quarter of 2020 that shows 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.
"The tremendous increase in trading volumes clearly demonstrates the importance and resilience of the listed derivatives markets during these stressed times," said Walt Lukken, president and chief executive officer of FIA. "In spite of the volatility and economic uncertainty caused by this global pandemic, these markets have continued to provide the vitally important functions of price discovery and risk management without interruption."
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.
FIA measures volume and open interest by the number of contracts traded and/or cleared on 80 exchanges and clearinghouses worldwide. The statistics include exchange rankings, top contracts by category, and summary statistics on regional and category trends.
Other highlights from the first quarter data:
FIA held a webinar on April 22 to provide more information about the trends in futures and options trading volume.
FIA also publishes statistics on trading activity on swap execution facilities and customer funds held at futures commission merchants in the U.S. To access these statistics, visit the industry data page.
For more information, contact Will Acworth at +1 202.466.5460.