CME Group Inc. (CME) cut the amount of collateral traders must put up to trade its main natural-gas contract Friday, as prices continue to slide to multi-year lows.

Speculators now must put up an initial margin of $2,835 to trade a contract for natural-gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down from $3,375. To keep the contract open, traders must put up $2,100, down from $2,500.

For hedgers and exchange members, the initial margin was reduced to $2,100 from $2,500, as was the maintenance margin.

Exchange operators often adjust margin requirements in response to volatility levels.

Natural gas for February delivery settled down 2.7 cents, or 1%, to $2.670 per million British thermal units Friday, their lowest finish since September 2009.

-By Dan Strumpf, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2818; dan.strumpf@dowjones.com

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