(Recasts lead and adds ICE data starting in sixth
paragraph.)
CME Group Inc.'s (CME) daily trading volume rose 1.7% in April,
the exchange operator said Tuesday, while IntercontinentalExchange
Inc. (ICE) reported an 8.2% decline.
The exchange operators had seen volume boosted in recent months
by political turmoil in Northern Africa and the Middle East
alongside the March 11 earthquake in Japan, roiling energy and
fixed-income markets. CME has opted out of the latest round of
consolidation in favor of focusing on its current business, which
is growing.
Last month, CME saw surging commodities and metals activity
tempered by muted trading of other products. It said Tuesday its
daily volume averaged 12.1 million contracts in April, up 1.7% from
a year earlier, but down 16% from March. About 83% of last month's
total 243 million contracts were traded electronically.
Daily volume for interest-rate futures, CME's biggest product by
that metric, increased 2.3% from a year earlier to 5.7 million
contracts a day. Commodities contract daily volume jumped 44% while
metals saw a 63% surge.
But equity index volume dropped 14%, alongside respective
declines of 3.9% and 5.5% in energy and FX.
Meanwhile, ICE said its average daily volume averaged 1.3
million contracts, down 8.2% from a year ago and 15% from
March.
Year-on-year, its biggest products, Brent crude futures and
options, saw volume increase 2%. Contract volume for Gasoil futures
and options jumped 20% but WTI Crude saw a 38% drop.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) and Ice are in the midst of an
effort to acquire NYSE Euronext (NYX) that the suitor has so-far
spurned, favoring its existing merger agreement with Deutsche
Boerse AG (DBOEF, DB1.XE).
CME's class A shares closed Monday at $297.14 while ICE finished
at $118.20. Neither was active premarket.
-By Matt Jarzemsky, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2240;
matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com